Halloween display depicting a hanging raises eyebrows

GREENFIELD, Wis. -- A dark mannequin hung from a noose as part of a homeowner's Halloween display drew complaints from members of the local black community, prompting the homeowner to remove it.

The clothed dummy had black gloves and a black head, prompting some to complain it was an affront to black residents. Nooses are racially charged symbols of lynchings in the Old South and have appeared in a number of recent incidents around the country.

Lenard Wells, the director of adult education at Concordia University South Center and a prominent member of the local black community, said a number of people complained to him last week about the display and that he was shocked when he went to see it.

"Sometimes we may forget we may be only a few blocks away from insensitivity," he said. "The question becomes, why couldn't they see the insensitivity of this Halloween display?"

A woman who answered the door at the home Tuesday refused to identify herself.

Wendell J. Harris, the education chair for the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he agreed the display was offensive, but commended the homeowner for taking it down.

"They have every right to put it up, but I think it's commendable of them to respond as they have, being considerate to the people who were offended," he said.