Community Chat

[June222]

View the video below

The Halloween decorations cover the yard and house of a home in the 1100 block of N. Pearce in Wichita, in the Riverside neighborhood. The family who lives there didn't want to comment on camera but did say they've put up the decorations before and never had anyone come to them personally to complain.

But some neighbors contacted Eyewitness News and said they found the hanging baby dolls disturbing.

"It's baby dolls hung by their neck, from their porch," said Dan McKain as he described the home. "Me personally, I have a very high value of life and I find it very disturbing to hang baby dolls like that."

McKain said several neighbors have been bothered by the decorations, especially because the house is just down the street from a memorial for murdered children.

A few weeks ago, someone cut down some of the dolls and left a note on the front door of the family's home. The note read "we do not murder children" and "worse than burning the American flag". Homeowners said their property was vandalized and they felt the note went too far. They also said the hanging baby doll decorations were meant to be fun and spooky for the Halloween Holiday.

Some other neighbors agreed.

"My first reaction was I thought it was funny but it wasn't because it made me think 'oh, dead babies," said neighbor Stacey Pogue. "I mean, I was just like it's Halloween. Go neighbors," she laughed.

The homeowners said they felt like they were being bullied by a small collection of people in their neighborhood, but have received a lot of positive feedback online on a Riverside Community Facebook page. They have left the doll decorations up.

http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/hanging-baby-doll-halloween-decorations-concern-neighborhood/359...

[June222]

I personally think it is sick.....but, to each his own. No one has to look......

[muttmom]

When we were children, we had a few Jack-o-lanterns on the porch.  I think today's decorations can get more than just a little out of hand.  We had a neighbor who blasted scary sounds for hours on end Halloween night.  Thank goodness they moved.

[ladyroxanne]

i agree, it's a free country.  it's very tasteless and callous, but people don't need to look.

[Sooner]

No, it isn't a "free" country and people are not "free" to do as they please.  It is offensive and sick to hang dolls.  It's when you allow anything goes in public that we get kids who come to school with guns and knives.  When you have a society that allows such behavior and displays, that's when kids start to think that whatever they do is ok.

Hate crimes, violence, displays like this, and a culture of violence all go hand in glove.   When there are no limits, there no limits.  You know what I'm saying?  And what is wrong with people simply saying when someone says their displays are offensive "Oh, I'm sorry.  I will take that down."  Must everyone always be in your face?

[Irshgrl31201]

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@Sooner wrote:

No, it isn't a "free" country and people are not "free" to do as they please.  It is offensive and sick to hang dolls.  It's when you allow anything goes in public that we get kids who come to school with guns and knives.  When you have a society that allows such behavior and displays, that's when kids start to think that whatever they do is ok.

Hate crimes, violence, displays like this, and a culture of violence all go hand in glove.   When there are no limits, there no limits.  You know what I'm saying?  And what is wrong with people simply saying when someone says their displays are offensive "Oh, I'm sorry.  I will take that down."  Must everyone always be in your face?

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Actually it is and they are. Unless they have an HOA contract that doesn't allow it they are absolutely allowed to. It isn't my taste but it isn't my house and the only people in the wrong were the ones who went on their property and cut it down and vandalized the property. Who do people think they are going on to someone elses land and taking something down they have no right to?

[Puzzle Piece]

I think some folks don't realize they are asking for trouble.  And then again, some folks want to impose some foolish message or shock upon others.  Henceforth, they get their consequences. 

I know I've stopped all Halloween decor due to vandalism and my things were just Autumn/Fall decorations. 
Halloween used to be strictly for children but now the adults who don't grow up chime in with lots of nonsense. 

[nun ya]

Not my taste, but it's their private property. 

[Irshgrl31201]

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@Puzzle Piece wrote:

I think some folks don't realize they are asking for trouble.  And then again, some folks want to impose some foolish message or shock upon others.  Henceforth, they get their consequences. 

I know I've stopped all Halloween decor due to vandalism and my things were just Autumn/Fall decorations. 
Halloween used to be strictly for children but now the adults who don't grow up chime in with lots of nonsense. 

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Well obviously it doesn't matter if they decorated distastefully or not. You have stopped decorating due to vandalism with just fall decorations. Vandalism is vandalism. People have no right to touch anothers property for ANY REASON. Asking for trouble? Blaming the victims of damage to their personal property by saying they were asking for it? No, they have every right to decorate how they would like to. I guess you were asking for it to then simply because you put out decorations.

[PeterDM]

These baby doll decorations are tame.  I saw a story on the news about a home that had bodies wrapped in plastic hanging upside down from their trees. It was so incredibly disturbing that the family who lived there took them down.  The school buses all had to go by the home on the way to school, and children were becoming traumatized.  Ghosts and ghouls are imaginary figures, and are just fine as far as I'm concerned.  However, images of violence, especially depicting infants, is in bad taste.  Violence will never go down in this country if we keep glorifying and celebrating it on our front porches.