Racially charged doll removed from home

[terry78]

Racially Charged Doll Removed From Home
Landlord Steps In Where Police Couldn't
POSTED: 10:03 pm CDT September 4, 2008
UPDATED: 8:01 am CDT September 5, 2008

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. -- Some residents in Council Bluffs are thankful that a racially disturbing object has been removed from their neighborhood.

A black baby doll tied to a cross was hanging from the eave of a home.

“It’s something sentimental to my boyfriend,” said Dorthy Richards, who lived at the residence with her boyfriend, Ben Foote.

Foote said his grandfather made the doll for him when he was 14 years old but wouldn’t say why.

“You can make it whatever you want to make it,” he said.

Neighbors said not only is the doll offensive to them, but they are also afraid of Foote. That’s why one neighbor asked not to be identified.“Because it’s reminiscent of the KKK, burning crosses on black people’s lawns and hanging them and things like that,” the neighbor said.

Foote didn’t just have the doll hanging from his eave. He also named his dog Hitler and has a rebel flag with the words “White pride, world justice” tattooed on his arm.

“I don’t know of any law saying what you can and can’t have as a yard ornament,” Foote said. “I don’t know there’s a law what you can and can’t name your dog.”

The Pottawattamie County attorney said, on that point, Foote is right.

“Freedom of speech is freedom of speech,” said Matt Wilber. He said as long as Foote doesn’t target or threaten a specific individual or group, police can’t stop him from displaying what he wants in his yard. They also can’t control what name he gives his dog.

“For the First Amendment to mean anything, that’s what it has to mean,” Wilber said. “Whether we disagree with flag burning or speech like this, I think our hands are tied.”

Wilber said if anyone harassed Foote or destroyed his property, the law would have to step in to protect him.

The law can’t stop Foote from displaying the controversial doll, but his landlord could.

After hearing that KETV NewsWatch 7 was investigating the incident, landlord Mike Limmer took the doll down.

“I said, 'This has to go,'” said Limmer. “If he wants it back, he knows where I live, but it’s not going back up in the yard again.”

Neighbors said they were grateful for what Limmer did.

“There’s just no place for that kind of crap going on,” he said.

 

[Honey Vibe]

A complex situation. Every person was within his rights.

 

[Addendum]

Crazy corn****ers

 

[terry78]

See, I would be more apt to be fine with the dude having the doll if he didn't have the dog named Hitler and the flag in the yard.

 

[The Lizard]

Well, he didn't just have a black baby doll on a cross -- he was displaying it hanging from the eaves of his house. But apparently he could even get away with that if he owned the house, which fortunately he doesn't.

On the rare occasion that I've been out in the rural areas of Georgia (I usually try to stay in the metro Atlanta area) I've seen the occasional statues of a "negro" lawn boy, or even a Klansman garden gnome. Not often, but they're out there if you go looking for them.

 

[Schlosser85]

It would have been his own business if he wasn't displaying it outside hanging from the eaves of the house. There it becomes offensive and could even be construed as threatening.

Why do people like this and the KKK like using crosses so much anyway? It's not like they're remotely familiar with the basic tenets of Christianity.

 

[Leto Atrides]

A complex situation. Every person was within his rights.

I have a feeling though if he ever commits a crime against anyone black, or of most any minority, he's screwed 10 times over.

 

[michephantom]

I'm all about freedom of speech, but this frustrates me. Surely it wouldn't be immoral to outlaw criticism/insults to races/cultures/sexes/disabilities. the world may be a better place if a person can protest against the government, but what good can come of someone Ahole protesting black people? What do they think will happen, that black people will be impeached and all go back to Africa? What the heck do they intend to accomplish?

What we need is a batman who fights discrimination. He goes where the police can't.

 

[Silk Spectre]

I don't agree with the mans actions, but he was breaking no laws. I despise racists morons, but offending people is not a crime.

 

[oakzap425]

I'm black, and I gotta say, this is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it was quite obviously a racially charged incident, but he really wasn't breaking any laws.

Living in the south and being black, I've come to the realization that I can't get offended by every little thing that could be misconstrued as an indirect hit at my or any other race.

I make fun of mexicans all the time, but seriously, I have no grudge against them.

I refuse to go to a nail shop that isn't run by little Asians. Does that make me racist? Nope, just know I get the best service and prices there.

I used to have neighbors in my old apartment complex that had confederate flags and swatztika (sp?) flags all over their apartment, always kept the window open, for them to be seen, and had swatztika tattooes all over. But they were always extremely polite to me, and I knew I really had no choice to be polite back. They'ed done nothing wrong to me, and I had no proof they'ed done anything wrong to others.

With race-related issues, you really just have to take everything with a grain of salt. If a person out right does something that's offensive racially, then yes, there is cause for offense. But if the person is just obviously ignorant, let them live in that world until it ****'s them over.

 

[chaseter]

See, I would be more apt to be fine with the dude having the doll if he didn't have the dog named Hitler and the flag in the yard.

A dog named Hitler