KKK snowman spreading holiday jeer
HAYDEN, Idaho -- While most see the holiday season as one of joy and merrymaking, at least one Hayden, Idaho, resident is taking the opportunity to spread a little hate courtesy of a noose-carrying, KKK hood-wearing snowman on their front lawn, KXLY.com reported.
Several area parents first noticed the offensive snow sculpture, located in front of a home in the 9000 block of Hillview Drive, while taking their kids to school Tuesday morning.
The sculpture depicts a snowman with a pointed hat and an outstretched right hand with a noose in it. Residents in the neighborhood say the homeowners also have an Aryan Nations flag on display.
One resident said they were “appalled at the nerve they have to threaten people in our community with their signs of hatred,” adding that this is a season of love and hope, not hate.
The homeowner who had the offensive snow sculpture in front of his home is Mark, who was profiled by KXLY back in July for posting flags ranging from an Aryan Nations flag to an SS flag at his home, drawing the ire of his neighbors. Then in October he angered residents further when, according to neighbors, he passed out bullets on Halloween.
A self-described White Separatist, Mark, who declined to give his last name during an interview in July, said Tuesday there was nothing wrong with his snowman.
He says he put the snowman on his front lawn about a week ago. At first the snowman was much smaller, but someone attempted to knock it over within the last day or two, so he rebuilt it. It was about 10 feet tall Tuesday morning.
Mark lives about 100 yards away from Hayden Meadows Elementary School and several concerned parents called authorities about the snowman. Two Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies went out to Mark’s home Tuesday and said there is a statute in Idaho against hanging nooses, which could have led to a criminal complaint against Mark if the noose hadn’t been removed from the sculpture.
The pointed hat on top of the snow sculpture was also knocked off, though Mark maintained there was nothing wrong with his sculpture and that it was just a snowman.
While the KKK snowman might be gone, Mark isn’t through yet. He’s now planning to modify his snowman to look like a Nazi soldier.
Several area parents first noticed the offensive snow sculpture, located in front of a home in the 9000 block of Hillview Drive, while taking their kids to school Tuesday morning.
The sculpture depicts a snowman with a pointed hat and an outstretched right hand with a noose in it. Residents in the neighborhood say the homeowners also have an Aryan Nations flag on display.
One resident said they were “appalled at the nerve they have to threaten people in our community with their signs of hatred,” adding that this is a season of love and hope, not hate.
The homeowner who had the offensive snow sculpture in front of his home is Mark, who was profiled by KXLY back in July for posting flags ranging from an Aryan Nations flag to an SS flag at his home, drawing the ire of his neighbors. Then in October he angered residents further when, according to neighbors, he passed out bullets on Halloween.
A self-described White Separatist, Mark, who declined to give his last name during an interview in July, said Tuesday there was nothing wrong with his snowman.
He says he put the snowman on his front lawn about a week ago. At first the snowman was much smaller, but someone attempted to knock it over within the last day or two, so he rebuilt it. It was about 10 feet tall Tuesday morning.
Mark lives about 100 yards away from Hayden Meadows Elementary School and several concerned parents called authorities about the snowman. Two Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies went out to Mark’s home Tuesday and said there is a statute in Idaho against hanging nooses, which could have led to a criminal complaint against Mark if the noose hadn’t been removed from the sculpture.
The pointed hat on top of the snow sculpture was also knocked off, though Mark maintained there was nothing wrong with his sculpture and that it was just a snowman.
While the KKK snowman might be gone, Mark isn’t through yet. He’s now planning to modify his snowman to look like a Nazi soldier.
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