There's a house in Atwater Village near the intersection of Glendale and Glenhurst that's all decked out for Halloween - dummies, sound effects, the works - and for the most part it looks delectably spooky. However, there's one particular feature of the decor turns our stomach. One of the dummies is hanging from a noose, literally "strung up" on a tree. Now, we know from last year's Sarah Palin effigy controversy that techinically we can hang whatever we want in our front yards. That said, what bothers us about this particular image is that this guy has not just been hanged, but lynched. Even though the dummy isn't black per se, (more of a ghost white) it alludes to a shameful aspect of American history and therefore has the potential to offend or upset some people. more ›

However, it looks like the buyer needed to be a bit more aware; "The auction winner, who lives in Los Angeles County, thought he was bidding on a pro-Palin and pro-John McCain item and didn't realize its true nature until he heard about the auction on talk radio," the seller is reported as saying in the LA Times. The article says the mannequin is "not leaving its West Hollywood home," but doesn't say if the sale will go through; eBay's rules for bidders are quite firm, and unless the seller is amenable, the sale must go through. more ›

This ad on eBay was already taken down twice making headlines in the news. It's back up and selling for over $2,000 with 10 bids so far. more ›

Did Redondo Beach resident Lisa Castaneda not learn the lessons of the West Hollywood Sarah Palin effigy? Or does she just have some major balls? To her it was free speech--she doesn't think Obama should be president. In the last 24 hours, the McCain campaign pleaded with her to take it down, the Secret Service visited and protesters did their thing outside. As of 1:00 p.m. today, Castaneda had taken down the effigy portraying Obama with a knife in his neck, covered with blood and hanging from his own necktie. The Daily Breeze has the full story. more ›

After a "heart-to-heart" talk with West Hollywood Mayor Jeffry Prang as a "huge mob scene" protested outside, Chad Michael Morrisette took down the controversial Sarah Palin effigy, which he said he saw as a Halloween display mixed with some election politics, two days earlier than he had planned. more ›

Neighbors of the home owner who has mixed Halloween decor and free speech together for Sarah Palin effigy in his West Hollywood front hard took their First Amendment right this afternoon by peacefully covering the display with sheets for a half hour. more ›

Possibly taking a cue from the buzz created around the Sarah Palin effigy in West Hollywood, a Barack Obama effigy was found this morning on the campus of the University of Kentucky, Chicagoist reports. U of K President Lee Todd said he was, "personally offended and deeply embarrassed by this disgusting episode." more ›

... as long as it's just a goofy doll in a Neiman Marcus coat dress and it's Halloween in WeHo. "We're not treating it as a threat," said Deputy Special Agent in Charge Wayne Williams on Tuesday. "Halloween presents some interesting challenges for us with the masks and costumes." The effigy was up "for weeks" before being called out on LAist (and elsewhere) earlier this week, according to LAT. more ›

On Monday night, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann named Chad Michael Morrisette, the West Hollywood resident that took front lawn Halloween decor to new levels with a Sarah Palin effigy and a burning John McCain, as the Worst Person in the World. He beats out Bill O'Reilly and Joe Lieberman. more ›

West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang chimed in on LAist's Sarah Palin effigy post yesterday. Like 99.9999% of everyone else, he's not cool with it. more ›

Ugh... Watch the video news report from last night's CBS2 news: more ›