Gruesome, Racist Halloween ‘Lynching’ Display Removed From On-Base Home At Fort Campbell

A Halloween display depicting a scene of black figures hanging from a tree outside of a home on a military base has been deemed “racist” and “offensive” by the military authorities, and the display has been taken down.

Clarksville Now reports that the Halloween display featured three figures, with black trash bags where their faces should be, hanging from trees in the yard of an on-base home at Fort Campbell, which sits on the border between Tennessee and Kentucky. One figure has an illegible sign around its neck. A fourth figure appears to be that of a child; the figure has a knife in its back, and it’s staged as if to appear to be trying to help one of the hanging victims.

According to Raw Story, the offensive Halloween display was brought to the attention of Brendalyn Carpenter of the base’s Public Affairs office — since the home is on a military base, it is not private property — who said that military authorities also agreed that the display was, as best, gruesome and offensive, and at worst, racist. The homeowner agreed voluntarily to take it down.

“Displays of an offensive nature are not reflective of Army values and the family-friendly environment provided for employees and residents of the Fort Campbell community.”

The soldier who put up the Halloween lynching display has not been named publicly.

Modern American Revolution, a group described as “right-wing” by Raw Story, came to the defense of the soldier who put up the display via a Facebook post.

“One of our supporters informed us that It [sic] was a soldier who lives in post housing. He did it in an attempt to recreate the scene from the movie Sinister. In it, a WHITE family had been killed by their possessed child. The Public Affairs office on Ft. Campbell confirmed this. So, anyone who tries to say this is racist is wrong. Since the gentleman is an active duty soldier living on a federal military installation, he has no 1st Amendment rights. Living on post is VERY different than living off post….End of story!”

Below is an image from the hanging scene in the movie Sinister that the group alleges inspired the display.

Earlier this month, according to this Inquisitr report, an Oklahoma man offended at least one of his neighbors with an offensive Halloween display that included a mock grave for Barack Obama.

Ms. Carpenter confirmed that the soldier who put up the Halloween lynching display has apologized.

[Images courtesy of: Clarksville Now,Horror Fan Zine]