Breaking: West Hollywood Sarah Palin effigy taken down

A California couple who hung a controversial effigy of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin from a noose off the side of their house have removed the display under pressure from city officials.

As The Ticket reported yesterday, the hanging mannequin generated international notoriety, as well as an appeal from the mayor of West Hollywood to remove the likeness that many saw as a hate crime.

ChadMichael Morrisette, the man who constructed the mannequin as part of a Halloween display, told The Times that he decided to remove the Palin mannequin on Wednesday after meeting with West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang. Originally he'd vowed to keep the display up until Saturday.

Earlier in the day, about half a dozen of Morrisette's neighbors had protested the display and tried to block it from the view of passing motorists, according to Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Times reporters Raja Abdulrahim and Andrew Blankstein will have more on the story at latimes.com later tonight and The Ticket will update as necessary.

-- Kate Linthicum

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Photo credit: A portrait of Mito Aviles (left) and Chad-Michael Morrisette in front of what they called a Halloween decoration, which included a caricature of VP candidate Sarah Palin hanging with a noose around her neck / Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[independent99]

There have been many statements made by Palin before she was nominated for the VP role that she later flip-flopped on. There is plenty of video footage out there to show this. Go to http://dailysource.org/palinvideos and you can see some of them. They have a lot of video footage of interviews and speeches.

[Tony Bassil]

It's a shame and disgrace to our country!
He can express his opinion in a gentlemen way!
But thanks to him I'm voting for McCain & Palin ticket now
Thanks CHAD

[Natesha]

White people using effigies to stir up racial hate. They knew that it would cause a snowball reaction. Why aren't they prosecuted?.

[Liz]

Why is everyone so concerned about the Palin effigy and not about the McCain effigy? He's running for president. Or is it simply not a convenient way to try and excuse way the inevitable images of some people symbolically lynching the first black American President?

[Tom]

That effigy was in poor taste. You can argue about freedom of expression all you want, but I doubt they'd be allowed to get away with it, had an Obama effigy been hanging from a noose.

[Joe in NY]

What were these people thinking? Whether one likes her or not, you don't do this type of thing. It is not funny. As an American who happens to be a Democrat, it is totally offensive to me.

[VJ Machiavelli]

I bet they got a call from Big Brother Obamas campaign and they told them to take it down you are going to cost us the election. These two persons are Anti-Women plan and simple. This is the way they should how much they hate Women by hanging a Mother of 5.

VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com
ps MAybe they heard the Sarah Palin was going to do A press conference in front of the hang Sarah Palin

[Trent]

Finally... Idiots. I hope they get egged this Halloween.

[Dave B]

I'm not a psychiatrist but am I the only one that thinks that the reason these two guys hung Sarah Palin in effigy is because she looks better in a dress than they do?

[Steveorevo]

It just goes to show you that this is why GLBT chooses a rainbow to represent their cause. Gay guys come in every color of the rainbow, black, white, Asian, doctors, lawyers, plummers, smart and (as very well noted here) STUPID.

Yes, poor taste in deed. Its not right to hang a public living figure that is running in our national election. As a gay democrat ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THIS IS SO WRONG. Had it been Obama, the secret service would have come down on them hard. It is completely biased that they got away with hanging Palin (as much as I can't stand her) for so long. Almost as biased as Prop 8. These guys are obviously bitter queens. The same ones that come out every year at PRIDE and set back the movement 30 years by OD'ing and forcing everyone to have to stand aside and let the EMT's through. See what happens when you're soo oppressed its pathetic? Jeeez. I feel sorry for these losers. Support freedom AND education folks, its the only hope for the future.

Obama '08, and

No on Hate. Vote No on 8.

[Thomas]

I think that it is a shame when something that is political is turned into "something criminal" by those who can not handle the way others think. In this particular case, with the heated debate, it has become even worse. In the first days of the "Hanging Palin Eppigy" noone made a fuss - even the neighbors that walked by everyday. Not until Fox news got wind of the story did the mainstream get involved. It was pushed like an old style lynching story and the Fox pundents began bringing up Obama and "what if" scenarios. If you want to know the difference between real crime and political expression visit sites like streetgangs.com or www.lacrimeprevention.com or look up crime on wikipedia or even the State Department warnings for other countries. You will then be able to see how ridiculous this has turned out to be.

[Elena E]

I find this act a disgrace to the people of the USA. That they believe that someone has the "right" to hang an effigy of Sarah Palin, and have McCain burning! I don't care what party people are affiliated with. Any effigy is completely unacceptable! These people should be punished severely!!! I wonder how they felt when some idiot hung an effigy of Barak Obama in Tennessee? If that effigy is inappropriate and the effigy of Sarah Palin is okay? Where is the justification in that?

[Robert]

How can you call them a couple? Discusting.

[Zai K]

I find that very funny, the fact that people think its wrong comes to show how low America has sunk as a Country. Seriously I wish I had the equipment to do that, I'd do it with both McCain and Obama, hell I'd do it with all the people running for Pres and VP. Mainly just to piss off the idiots in the world who thinks its wrong and that its a criminal act. America Sucks, so does the President/Vice President line up this Election. It's a joke America get over it.

[Carolyn Bell]

Sorry. Have to be honest, but I think it is funny. I lived in W. Hollywood for 10 years. I am straight, but know it is gay-friendly and progressive and Palin is not. When have you ever seen a white person in a noose? Other Halloween displays have had Obama caught in spiderwebs about to be eaten, etc.. I think it is ok to mock the KKK, skinhead behaviors that we've been hearing on the news.