"The display outside sheriff Paul Burch's home has drawn ire online, from neighbors and from Hispanic interest groups. It's hard to put into words how disappointing it is to see our elected sheriff use his own front yard to mock and dehumanize a group of people, neighbor Whitney Newman said in a response to a Facebook post. Newman called the scene inappropriate, given the sheriff's role as an elected law enforcement official, reported Al.com, an Alabama news outlet."
"My husband had nothing to do with these, other than mowing the grass around them, she wrote. I made this one, playing both on my Cuban background and new, needed changes in federal immigration enforcement. Burch said she decorated for Halloween and other holidays on a rotating basis of themes: My parents were legal immigrants, and I have plenty of immigrants throughout my family. I'll make a new one shortly we have no shortage of topics to cover."
The sheriff's Halloween display featured two skeletons wearing sombreros and Mexican ponchos being chased over a fence by three skeletons in ICE T-shirts. Neighbors and Hispanic advocacy groups criticized the display as mocking and dehumanizing immigrants. Whitney Newman called the scene inappropriate given the sheriff's law enforcement role and said it crossed from a tasteless joke into a public statement about who deserves dignity. Grace Resendez McCaffery said the decoration sent a harmful message that can perpetuate fear and racism. Michelle Burch, the sheriff's wife, said she created the display as tongue-in-cheek, cited her Cuban background, and said the family includes legal immigrants.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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