Halloween “Lynching” Decoration Sparks Racism Allegations

Some Riverside residents think the decoration harkens back to U.S. dark past and slavery

What would you think if you saw a life-like figure dangling by its neck from a tree in your neighborhood?

Natalie Diaz and her father said that when they made the hanging dummy out of PVC pipe, they thought it would be a scary Halloween decoration for their Riverside home. The figure writhes and wheezes.

But their decoration has drawn a lot more attention than they thought it would, and for all the wrong reasons.

“I understand it’s a Halloween decoration to that family, but in other people’s eyes, they don’t see that,” said Mary Bailey, a neighbor. “They see a form of racism.”

Bailey, whose children are biracial, said the image of a man hanging from a tree digs up gruesome images from America’s past racism-fueled violence against black men and women.

“It hits home because my family is a part of that history,” she told NBC4.

Others in the community said they understand Bailey’s point of view, but don’t think the decoration is racist.

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Chris Atencio, a neighbor who is part black, described it as “fun” and “creative.”

The homeowners with the decoration say they have no plans to take it down before Halloween.

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