Northern Beaches police ask owner to remove Halloween decoration after complaint
A row has erupted after police told the owner of a northern beaches home to take down his Halloween decoration – sparking a social media storm. But what do you think?
Manly
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A social media storm has erupted on Sydney’s northern beaches after police asked the owner of a gruesome Halloween decoration to take it down.
Two fake bodies hanging from a tree in the front garden of an Elanora Heights home were removed after police were alerted to the decoration by a member of the public.
A council ranger also arrived on the scene shortly afterwards after it is believed a complaint was also made to Northern Beaches Council.
Insp Maree Kiem from Dee Why police said the decoration was not appropriate and “had crossed a line”.
“We are requesting that members of the public be sensitive and use commonsense with their Halloween decorations,” she told the Manly Daily.
One mum Vivienne Grimston said the house in Woorarra Ave displaying two bagged ‘dead bodies’ hanging upside down on a tree was too much.
“It took my breath away as I drove past this morning, so what nightmares and memories will it etch into little kid’s minds?” she wrote on Facebook.
“Once you see it, you cannot ‘unsee’ it. Life is precious – we need to protect it.”
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However, the taking down of the ‘bodies’ has caused huge debate on social media pages with people in the area accusing those of being upset as “snowflakes”, while others defending the move because it could be a trigger for those who have lost loved ones to suicide.
Matty Champion, who posted a video of the ‘bodies’ on a community page said his wife loved them and said people should “toughen up and stop bringing up easily offended, scared, weak, future adults”.
Another commenter Eileen Dover said parents should just explain the ‘bodies’ are a sack full of foam or pillows and just a “harmless decoration”.
Carma Birch, who lives a couple of doors down on Woorarra Ave, said her house is known as the ‘Halloween House’ in Elanora Heights and she spends around $3000 a year on decorations, batteries and American candy for the thousands of kids that visit.
Her and her husband Chris, both in their 60s, raise hundreds of dollars every year for the Tumbledown Dick Rural Fire Service.
She said she decorated her home to “bring joy” to the community, and this row had upset her.
“It’s upsetting to think a number of people are overthinking things,” Mrs Birch, who is dressing up as a gothic vampire tonight, said.
“I think it’s a bit of fun. I am surprised.”
She said that she has had zombies and corpses rising from graves and had never had any complaints and did not think the fake bodies were a problem.
Her husband Chris said he hoped he would get such a quick response from police and the council when there was a burnout along the street.
Another fan of Woorarra Ave, Mary Jane Nicholson, 71, of Dee Why, said she had seen the bodies and thought it was unbelievable that one complaint had resulted in them being taken down.
“It’s a step too far. It’s the PC brigade,” she said.
What do you think? Let us know on the Manly Daily Facebook page.