Halloween is around the corner, and people are now starting to set out their decorations for the spooky season.
But one decoration in a town in Georgia has sparked controversy after neighbours raised concerns about how the decoration might be interpreted.
While many people lay out Halloween decorations such as cobwebs, witches, pumpkins, and other spooky paraphernalia, sometimes things can cause upset.
Advert
The decoration which was out up in Cartersville in Bartow County near to Atlanta consists of a 'body' with a fake ram or goat's skull for a head and torches for eyes, which has been hanged from a tree by its neck.
But there's one thing about the decoration which has left neighbours so concerned that one took it upon themselves to take it down.
Taking a closer look, the 'body' is made up of gloves which are brown, which could be taken to indicate that it is a black person who has been hanged from the tree.
This has led critics to say that the decoration could be interpreted as a person of color who has been lynched.
The homeowner has denied that this was a factor when he and her family put the decoration up.
She told WSB-TV that she chose the gloves because they were 'garbage gloves'.
Referring to a neighbour who raised concerns about the decoration, she added: “She said, ‘Because the thing underneath the mask is black and his shirt is black.’ So, she was thinking that it’s a Black person, and it’s not."
Among those who have raised concerns about the decoration is president of the Bartow County NAACP Dexter Benning, who highlighted that the brown gloves make it look as though it is a person of color.
He said: “This was really crossing the line. It was offensive. It really just signified and insinuated that it was a person, and it was a person of color.
"And Bartow County has a history of hangings here in this county. And to do that is just not appropriate.”
Georgia has one of the highest number of lynchings, with 492 black people recorded as being lynched in the state between 1882 and 1968. Only Mississippi has a higher number.
While black and white people have been victims of lynching, lynching has historically been used by white supremacists as a way to terrorise black communities. Lynchings of black people increased in the Reconstruction Era after the abolition of slavery, particularly in Southern states including Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
One neighbour was so upset that they took the decoration down themselves, but the family, who call the decoration 'Mr Creepy and the Tree', have since put it back up.
Police have stated that the decoration is not breaking any laws.
Kit Roberts