18-year-old Marc Monfort lives in Oconto Falls. For Halloween, Monfort has hung three plywood mannequins outfitted as scarecrows from a tree in the yard of his home. The figures have black faces and are hanging from branches by their necks with rope.
Monfort says the display isn't racist and that he's not taking it down. He says that he made the scarecrows when he was eight years old and has hung them outside his home in prior years.
The Mayor of Oconto Falls says that the display is "disgusting". A resident of the community says that she's "horrified" by the display and the fact that no action is being taken to remove it.
For what it's worth, a confederate flag also flies in the yard.
Later today, we'll talk about whether this is a legitimate Halloween display or an example of racism?
UPDATE: During today's show, I received a couple of phone calls from people in the area. Apparently, either last night or this morning, Monfort took the mannequins out of the tree, painted their faces white and repositioned them at the base of the tree.
For the record, I think the initial display was in very poor taste. The placement of the mannequins in the tree juxtaposed with the confederate flag sends an undeniable message. I'm not suggesting that this display was actionable - only that it was definitely in poor taste. I understand why some neighbors (one of whom called my show) were upset.
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