An elaborate Halloween display in Springfield has been under fire for being seen as ‘racially divisive’.

Owner Josh Witkowski, has a display which depicts a man hanging from a gallows. The man is dressed in a cowboy outfit and has his legs bound with rope. Originally the man had a dark-colored skull mask and sported a cowboy hat.

The owner has said that the controversy took him by surprise, and that he didn’t mean anything other than for the display to be “slightly spooky”. He doesn’t believe that a Halloween prop has an assigned race.

Several people have objected to the display including the president of the Springfield NAACP chapter, Archie Lawrence. Lawrence appeared before the Springfield City Council Tuesday night and said that the decoration, “incites racial hatred and unrest”.

Witkowski, also present at the council meeting, said that he had used the same display in years previous, although the mask is new this year. The previous, light colored mask had melted while in storage over the summer, he stated. The new mask is gray with brown and red tones, but the shadow from the cowboy hat made it appear darker he said.

The owner plans to adjust the color of the new mask. He said he also is willing to work with people who object to the display, however he has not made any statements saying that the display would come down altogether.

“My question is: I’m the homeowner, the property owner there,” he said. “At what point do we stop censoring an outdoor display? It’s Halloween decorations.

“I’ve got an electric chair right next to the guy that’s hanging. If the death penalty people have a problem with that, do I have to now remove that from my yard?”

The display also includes tombstones and animatronic figures that move and are lit up at night.

Witkowski has been encouraged to remove the hanging man. Mayor Tim Davlin said his office has received more than a dozen calls from concerned residents. Some of these residents have felt offended because they have known individuals who committed suicide by hanging.

Witkowski said he was notified of people’s complaints only Tuesday afternoon. He has plans discuss the objections with city representatives and members of the African-American community. A meeting was has been set for Thursday.

“I’m going to address their concerns as best as possible, so that way we don’t have this kind of divisive issue out there,” he said. In past years, Witkowski has received compliments for his decoration, he says.

Some residents are hoping the decorations are taken down. “We can’t just simply say, ‘Oh it’s the Halloween spirit’ and let it go,” said disgruntled resident Vivian Williams. “We can’t. What’s going to be next?”