A Bucks County, Pennsylvania, homeowner is refusing to remove his Halloween decorations after the local NAACP and some residents claimed the display of hanging “bodies” resembles lynching victims and carries “painful historical significance” for Black Americans.
Homeowner Mike Wade told reporters he bought the kit and never intended to offend anyone. “My house is scary. My house is always scary. It’s always set up scary. Same thing. Dead bodies laying around, skeletons. It’s Halloween,” he said.
Some neighbors agreed it was simply seasonal spookiness, while others, including resident Roshea Newkirk, questioned, “I’m just looking at it and I’m just thinking to him, like, ‘do you not see what’s wrong with this?’”
The controversy reached a Bristol Borough Council meeting, where resident Karla Scott called the scene “very inappropriate.”
Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe confirmed that a borough inspector contacted the homeowner shortly after the display went up. Officials asked him to take it down, but he declined.
The homeowner told FOX 29 the display was simply for Halloween and there was “no other agenda.”
“He feels they’re Halloween decorations and he won’t take them down. And we don’t have an ordinance against anything like that,” DiGuiseppe stated. The decorations remain in place.
The Bucks County NAACP entered the fray after receiving a complaint on October 7. Branch President Adrienne King said the resident had first approached borough officials before contacting the organization.
In a statement, the group argued that “for Black Americans, the imagery of bodies hanging from trees is not simply a Halloween decoration. It evokes one of the darkest chapters in American history.”
They added that “intent does not erase impact” and that “something can be legally permissible and still be profoundly harmful.”
The NAACP called for voluntary removal or modification, emphasizing: “This is not about restricting Halloween celebrations or freedom of expression. It is about historical awareness, empathy, and respect for our neighbors.”
They also urged continued engagement from borough leadership.
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