Obama Tombstone Halloween Decoration Offends Neighbor, Man Refuses To Take It Down

An Oklahoma man has offended his neighbor by placing an Obama tombstone in his yard with the rest of his Halloween decorations.

Dwayne Dockens’ new neighbor, Jamilla Phillips, complained to a local television station about the Obama tombstone and her complaint was picked up by other media outlets soon after.

The tombstone is printed “Obama,” with a question mark underneath where the birth date would normally be, referencing the former controversy about the president’s birth certificate and origin of birth.

“I was absolutely offended,” Phillips said.

“Regardless of your political views, Democrat or Republican, he is the president of the United States,” she told ABC News. “I just think it was disrespectful not just to me, but [Obama].”

After seeing the news coverage of Phillips’ complaint, the chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party said in a statement, “It’s disrespectful and completely unpatriotic in a time of worldwide conflict. We need to stand behind our country and president. But it’s also typical of the intolerant and the hypocrisy that we see so often.”

The coverage has also prompted social media responses. One Facebook user commented, “It’s very bad form to do that with ANY American president of any party.”

While another said, “It should have RIP USA on it and then under it killed by Obama.”

The tombstone sits in a mock cemetery in Dockens’ yard, surrounded by other fake tombstones with silly phrases such as “Ima Gonner” and “Dying to Get In.”

According to the NY Daily News, Dockins says the Obama tombstone has been in his yard for the past three years and no one has ever complained about it before. It was meant not to disrespect anyone, but as a joke.

“We made them a few years ago, back when it was a big deal, questions about his birth certificate,” he said. “Just kind of something we thought was humorous for the time.”

Now Dockins is saying that, although he apologizes if anyone was upset, he probably won’t take the tombstone down because he feels Phillips should have come to him directly and asked him to do so – not go to the media. He claims the first he heard about it was when the local news station asked to interview him.

“This could have been settled over an afternoon talk,” he said. “It’s ridiculous what this has evolved into.”

Dockins’ tombsone isn’t the only recent joke about Obama that some think went too far, such as this “witch doctor” poster reported by The Inquisitr.

Do you find these types of jokes about a national leader offensive, or are they all in good fun? And what do you think of the way Phillips handled the tombstone situation?

[Image via ABC News]