It’s October. Let the inappropriate Halloween decorating begin. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
Investigators were called to a North Carolina home last week after receiving reports of a man’s body hanging from a tree, but it turned out to be a Halloween display. Complaints about Halloween decorations are not uncommon and included last year’s reports about a Dallas artist who created a bloody front yard massacre display, and about a body bag decoration created by a life coach who triggered all of her neighbors.
But while most police departments will respond to complaints and let homeowners know they’re offending neighbors, after which many—including the North Carolina family—take them down voluntarily, many police departments allow even very gory displays unless they violate community standards or are considered hate crimes like those that show minorities hanging from trees. Still, maybe before you get too graphic, ask yourself if you’d be willing to wake up in the middle of the night with the little kid whose dreams you’ve just haunted.
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