A Pennsylvania resident has refused to remove a Halloween display despite a statement from the Bucks County NAACP. (Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The Bucks County NAACP called for a Pennsylvania home to remove its Halloween decorations on Thursday, accusing the display of carrying a “painful historical significance” for Black Americans.
In a statement on social media, the Bucks County NAACP reported on a complaint earlier this month regarding a home featuring fake bodies wrapped in black body bags and hung from trees. The organization felt “deeply concerned” over this display, remarking that “something can be legally permissible and still be profoundly harmful.”
“For Black Americans, this imagery carries a painful historical significance rooted in lynching and racial terror,” Bucks County NAACP said. “While we recognize that Halloween decorations are often intended to frighten or shock, intent does not erase impact.”
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Bucks County NAACP released a statement on a controversial Halloween display that went up earlier this month. (Getty Images)
The organization has spoken with the Bristol Borough council on the matter, but it emphasized that it was focused more on “voluntary reconsideration of the display” rather than forcibly removing the decorations.
“This is not about restricting Halloween celebrations or freedom of expression. It is about historical awareness, empathy, and respect for our neighbors. We cannot change our history, but we can choose how we respond when that history is invoked in our communities today,” the statement read.
In a statement to Digital, the Bucks County NAACP confirmed the council has responded to their concerns and has spoken to the homeowner at the heart of the conflict. The organization also clarified that it has not advocated for government censorship or asserted that the resident committed a crime with the display.
“We are encouraging the homeowner to voluntarily reconsider the display and are interested in working with borough leadership on opportunities for community education and constructive dialogue. Ultimately, our goal is not to assign motives or create division. It is to encourage historical awareness, empathy, and respect for the experiences of others. We cannot begin to bridge divides we refuse to acknowledge,” Bucks County NAACP President Adrienne King told Digital.
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Front yard decorated with spider webs. (iStock)
King also said that since the story has gotten attention, she has received several personal calls and messages about similar displays outside of Bucks County, suggesting “the issue extends beyond one homeowner or one community.”
In a comment to Digital, Bristol Borough Manager James Dillon confirmed that he and other members of the council spoke to the homeowner. The homeowner informed them that the display was not meant to offend and that he has no intention of removing it.
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Halloween with giant inflatable and animatronic yard decorations. (iStock)
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The situation resembled a controversial Halloween display in Houston, Texas, last year which depicted two individuals dressed in red hats, black shirts, khaki pants and black masks being hung from a wooden gallows topped with a Mexican flag.
