Family, under pressure, removes its hanged dummy

"Chesla Flood couldn't believe her eyes. A hangman's noose circled the neck of a black-hooded, jeans-clad dummy suspended from the chimney of a house in Madison.

Flood called her mother, Millie Hazlewood, who reported the Halloween display to police. She wasn't the only one. Police went to the property at least three times starting Sunday, and even the mayor asked the homeowners to take down the figure.

At 8 last night, the family relented, saying they feared for their safety. "

More: http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1192509993309380.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

Paladin said:

"Chesla Flood couldn't believe her eyes. A hangman's noose circled the neck of a black-hooded, jeans-clad dummy suspended from the chimney of a house in Madison.

Flood called her mother, Millie Hazlewood, who reported the Halloween display to police. She wasn't the only one. Police went to the property at least three times starting Sunday, and even the mayor asked the homeowners to take down the figure.

At 8 last night, the family relented, saying they feared for their safety. "

More: http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1192509993309380.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

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Not every noose is used to kill black people. Not every noose is meant as a racial slur. Don't people know it will lose it's sting if you don't allow it to have meaning? I believe that's why so many blacks in my area call each other the N word - in jovial manner and amongst themselves, they have adapted, adopted and overcome the negative connotation of the word and reclaimed it for their own selves Now the word doesn't hurt them anymore. Personally, when I see a noose, I think of suicides, not black people a long time ago. When I see a noose with something hanging from it, on display (unless it's football season) I think of halloween. Of course NOW that someone complained about a decoration, I'm going to only think of people who want all the attention on them - while claiming they are making noise because they don't want attention on them.

Hello folks - IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!

(I am not talking about Jena - I mean this particular thing.)

While I was reading this I wondered if the dummy was wearing a different color hood if the reaction would have been any different. Also, when I think of nooses not only do I think of the South, but I also think of Europe, and the American West.

I can see this being an issue if the decoration was down past the Mason-Dixon line, but this occurred in New Jersey.

I can see both sides of the issue on this one, and that's what interested me in posting it here.

On the one hand, I was thinking what's the big deal in taking it down if it is upsetting people so much? Explain to them it wasn't your intention to depict a racial scene and take it down. Be creative with your decorations and celebrate the holiday using something else.

On the other hand, it was a seemingly harmless Halloween decoration, one that I've seen many times throughout the years. I doubt it was a veiled reference to a Southern lynching. Pretty soon we'll have nothing to decorate with or talk about if someone is always going to be offended by something.

Does this mean people will have to stop using white bed sheets as ghosts in trees because they might be mistaken for Klan members? Something to think about.

When I think of nooses, along with the Nazi symbol, I think of the historical "events" in the past that have killed people and that both of these symbols "historically" represent.

Racism is alive and well and living in the USA, no doubt. Ask anyone what is the first thing that comes to mind when they think of a noose, and I would bet, if they are of a "certain" age that they will think of, wait a minute let me think, of yeah, when "people of color" were hung by a noose from a tree and murdered.

Ask any one what they think of when they see a symbol for Nazi Germany and the murder of Jewish people, and they are not going to go and have a coffee and think about it.

It is the perception, not the intent. The symbol for Nazi Germany was around a lot longer before Hitlter decided to use it and of course nooses were around a lot longer then before they were used traditionally as instruments of murder.

Remember when the Prince wore a Nazi costume to a party. A picture was published in the paper. Did the Royals say: Get over it, get past it, no they issued along with the Prince a statement that they did not intend to "minimize" the historical event or the murder of people based on religion and or color.

The fact that this person was "persuaded" after two days to take the the noose speaks volumes about their character or lack thereof.

Oh I forgot also, the Spanish Inquisition was not just a simple Qand A.

If a person is wearing a ghost costume with KKK on it and or a ghost costume with a hood, then yes that is offensive. Rightly so.

A Professor at Columbia was offended when he discovered a noose that was intended as a "message" for him was insulted and extremely offended. That was in New York, so Jersery is fair game also. Racism knows no state lines.

Oh for God's sake.. Leave it to the blacks to make a racial issue out of
E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I personally am way beyond ready for the backlash..!!

And I thought this was more about the issue of a hanging dummy being upsetting to people in general... which it is. I used to be terrified and very disturbed by seeing these things around Halloween as a kid.. but guess what,, I survived. It might be traumatizing though for anyone who has had a loved one commit suicide in this way. I just think it's in poor taste. But racist?? GIve me a *advertiser censored*king break. Funny how blacks never seemed to notice nooses at Halloween (or any other time) before.. until it got "trendy" for them to feel all offended and freaked out about it.. just within the past year or so. They see their peers suddenly making an issue about it, so the rest of them have to jump on the bandwagon. So guess what,, people are going to get even more sick of their self-righteousness and hypocrisy, and just to mess with them,, you're gonna see more and more nooses. Which just inflames them even more and escalates the cycle... which is what they want! It's as if they WANT to see nooses (or, be harrassed by cops,, or be discriminated against, etc. etc..) so they can have something to and moan about, so they often go out of their way to make it happen. A self-fufilling prophecy, if you will. It's as if they don't know what else to do with their time and energy if they can't be a victim.. or at least play the part.
And no doubt,, they would have harrassed and bullied this family (as they do, when they don't get their way) by firebombing their house, slashing thier tires,, threatening them.. all sort of other thuggish tactics. Yeah,, WHO's the oppressor NOW......???? Hypocritical.. as always.

Don't they all have anything better to do??

<<"It's the same imagery we saw as young people -- black faces, dungarees and ropes around the body and neck," said Martin, who is also a member of the district board of education.

Cheryl Maines said she was not swayed by Martin's personal history.
"Don't bring your ancestors into this -- it's something that happened; you've got to get beyond it or you're going to make yourself sick," she said.>>

HOORAY!! AWESOME!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
THANK YOU for having the courage to say what DEPSERATELY NEEDS TO BE SAID.. but whites are too busy walking on eggshells around blacks, kissing their asses, pussyfooting around the issues, putting themselves down, and catering to them TO SPEAK THE TRUTH. Grow up,, evolve, get over it already. Guess what--- LIFE IS TRAUMATIZING FOR EVERYONE. You are not the only people in history to have something bad happen to you!!! And YES.. I do agree with her that it's 'making them sick'... as a group, as a culture... actually,, it's already made them sick.

I never understood why people thought these displays were appropriate anyway. I think I remember a thread from a Halloween a few years back when either the police were called thinking a display was a real person OR a real person was hanging and not reported b/c others thought it was a Halloween display. Since I have lost a loved one to suicide who chose hanging as his method, seeing this would really freak me out. I cannot imagine being faced with it on a daily basis. I wouldn't call the police, but the people who chose to put it out there would go down in my estimation several notches. It's just way over the top for Halloween and kind of trashy.

To put a black hood on it and pretend to be unaware of the implications given the recent national events is disingenuous at best and race-baiting at worst. The fact that the police, the mayor, and multiple neighbors asked them to take it down and they refused tells me that these people are stubborn rednecks who don't care who they offend.

Yes, they have the legal right to put this in their yard, but "legal" and "ignorant white trash" are not mutually exclusive.

reb said:

Oh for God's sake.. ......
And no doubt,, they would have harrassed and bullied this family (as they do, when they don't get their way) by firebombing their house, slashing thier tires,, threatening them.. all sort of other thuggish tactics. Yeah,, WHO's the oppressor NOW......???? Hypocritical.. as always.
......

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reb,
I have to say I agree with most of your comments. I can't tell you how many past Halloween's that our neighbors hung ghost and even scarecrows (from nooses) from trees in their front yards. They also played eerie music to add to the Halloween season. Guess now someone would report them to the NAACP. :banghead:

It's not 'trendy' for people to respond to nooses - it's a reaction to a bunch of racists hanging nooses as a serious, honest to goodness racist hate message. "We hung your ancestors, and we might just hang you if you get out of your place" is the clear message.


This family may or may not have done it deliberately - but if you put a Nazi swastika and a burning cross accidentally in your yard - should everyone just say it's OK? If it's accidental, they should be quite willing to take it down. Hang a ghost, hang a scarecrow - that's different. Hanging a figure in a black hood - that's got serious historical resonance to very real murders that didn't happen all that far in the past, as well as a link to real threats happening today to real black people.

reb said:

Oh for God's sake.. Leave it to the blacks to make a racial issue out of
E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I personally am way beyond ready for the backlash..!!

.....And no doubt,, they would have harrassed and bullied this family (as they do, when they don't get their way) by firebombing their house, slashing thier tires,, threatening them.. all sort of other thuggish tactics. Yeah,, WHO's the oppressor NOW......???? Hypocritical.. as always.

Don't they all have anything better to do??

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"They"??? Are you judging everyone by race here? And you say they're overreacting? You assign wholely hypothetical and imaginary actions to an entire race of people, and then say they're the oppressors based on these actions they haven't even threatened?

You're kinda proving their point for them.


Some individuals use the race card when it doesn't apply - that doesn't mean that there is no such thing as racism or racists; that doesn't make every person of that race to blame; and that doesn't make this case OK, nor racism OK.

I saw we outlaw GUNS, rap noise, baggy pants with underwear hanging out, and Black History month,, because I find it oppressive to white people. Oh.. and also, Black History Month is not only racist but it also exclusive, and segregationist.

I think most can tell the difference between things that we merely esthetically dislike (like rap, baggy pants, etc.) and reminders of how a bunch of people were murdered for the color of their skin.

So are you saying that the hanging Halloween 'dummies' are racist?

Well if the white people were slaves, were murdered, treated like garbage, suffered all sort of assaults and murders and abuse. The black people were immume from any "reprecussions" legal or otherwise when they hung white people from the noose in a tree, make sure you let me know when this happened to you.

Were you told if you could or could not use the bathroom, or any other public facility. Were your "race" of people victimized and were they murdered because they were white. Was a "civil war" fought because oneside wanted the whites to continue being slaves and the other side thought that the white slaves should be treated like persons and freed from slavery and the "side that won" outlawed white slavery.

Just like the side that "won" WWII, thought it was "wrong for one person to "govern the planet" and kill anyone who was Jewish and not blond and blue eyes.

If any of the above happened to you or your family then I could see your point.

But you see I would like to know what other purposes concentrations camps had or have, and what other purposes nooses hanging around a person throat has. What other purpose does a noose hanging from a tree have. I am sure some "creative" types may try to answer that, but of course "the rest of the USA already knows the reason why".

If you are Jewish or black let me know, if not, you could have no idea what it is like to be killed based on color or religion.

Why don't you go to South Africa, where the whites are in the minority and then you can see what "racism" is and how it feels.

Or go to China and feel like the outsider with everyone treating you different because you are not Chinese. They will all stare at you, so get used to it.

I asked my friend to go to Texas with me, she was afraid because she is black and was concerned that she may unfortunately run into some "rednecks" that might not appreciate a white women and black women vacationing together. Or a black women. I told her, please, that is never going to happen, this is 2007. She just smiled and changed the subject.

I think black history month is a great idea as it promotes black history as contributing to society, not the slaves as everyone remember them to be. Not the sorid history that the white populaltion made them to be. It makes black people proud of their "history" not the history that they did not want to become part of which is still is a blight on society.

By the way, the "noose" incidents rage from Conn. to Calif with more and more everyday. So just because a person lives in a state that "won" the civil war, does not make that state immune to racism and the history of "white people" owning black people.

Remember the slaves "escaped" to Canada through the underground railroad to be a "free" person not owned or slaves to a white person and Human Rights are not "just a new" thing these days.

philamena said:

So are you saying that the hanging Halloween 'dummies' are racist?

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Me? I said that it can be done with or without awareness of what it means.

A noose, put somewhere a black person is - such as on the bag of the Coast Guard cadet, the "white" tree where a black kid asked if they could go, the door of a black professor - that's clearly racist.

A hanging Halloween figure - depends on how it's done - does it look like it's meant to be a black person. A scarecrow, a skeleton, a ghost - nope. A figure with a black hood - that's a near precise recreation of several of the classic lynching photographs and postcards from back in the day when lynching black men was common.

If it's not deliberate though - why would you not remove it when you found out what it signified, what it looked like? If someday, out of ignorance, you put up a swastika near a person wearing a gold star - when you found out what it meant, wouldn't you take it down immediately? This is no different.

If you are Jewish or black let me know, if not, you could have no idea what it is like to be killed based on color or religion.

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Actually it's none of your business what race I am. Just as I could care less what race you are....race has nothing to do with my reading and posting at a crime forum.

FWIW-Maybe you haven't heard but black American's were not the ONLY race/nationality treated poorly in this country. My ancestors were Cherokee Indian. They suffered greatly in the good old USA yet they forged ahead, worked hard and built their own communities and learned to live amongst other races. They had to learn how to coexist with other Americans without playing the race card.

Maybe we should discuss the people of the Appalachians. Want to talk about a disrespected race? People who to this day live in oppression.

Details said:

Me? I said that it can be done with or without awareness of what it means.

A noose, put somewhere a black person is - such as on the bag of the Coast Guard cadet, the "white" tree where a black kid asked if they could go, the door of a black professor - that's clearly racist.------

If it's not deliberate though - why would you not remove it when you found out what it signified, what it looked like? If someday, out of ignorance, you put up a swastika near a person wearing a gold star - when you found out what it meant, wouldn't you take it down immediately? This is no different.

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Details,
I wouldn't hang anything from a tree anyway but if I did and I was asked to take it down, I would take it down.
I just think it gets to be alittle nuts when people can't decorate for Halloween without the race card being played.

You know it's interesting. I love being scared and I love Halloween and I love the thoughts of spooky bodies hanging from trees in connection with both those things. And I would (and probably will!) pay good money to go into a Haunted House and see hanging boies and even scarier things....BUT, I wouldn't hang a dead pretend person from a tree in my front yard because I really would expect it to upset some people - black people, white people, young people, people who have lost loved ones to suicide by hanging, people who are easily spooked or not into anything that macabre.

So, while I deeply get the sentiment behind the desire to do this at Halloween, I've got enough social and emotional IQ to know better.

how silly....
halloween 'decorations' for pete's sake....

Details said:

I think most can tell the difference between things that we merely esthetically dislike (like rap, baggy pants, etc.) and reminders of how a bunch of people were murdered for the color of their skin.

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--correct--well said Details