The city of Washington was forced to remove the Karen-themed Halloween exhibit after a local resident accused of resemblance
Released: 8:14 PM EDT, Oct. 21, 2022 | Updated: 9:30 p.m. EDT, Oct. 21, 2022
A town hall was forced to remove a Karen-themed Halloween exhibit after an angry resident claimed the scarecrow resembled her.
Maricela Sanchez of Prosser, Wash., claimed the scarecrow, who donned a “can I speak to the manager” shirt and had shoulder-length black hair, looked like her – and was part of the ongoing attack on her.
Prosser City Hall announced the removal of the fall festive decorations after Sanchez claimed they were installed in “retaliation.” [against her] for rejecting a municipal bond proposal in the forthcoming vote.
The bizarre Halloween scarecrow – with a pointed face, straw hat and broomstick – poked fun at “Karens,” a nickname given to discerning and entitled women.
Sanchez has been actively sharing anti-City Hall bonds on her Facebook account, encouraging her friends and supporters to vote no to the “expensive, unnecessary tax spending.”
She told NBC Right Now, “This past weekend City Hall entered an annual Halloween decoration contest with a spooky scarecrow dressed up to look like me.
‘The Prosser town hall was involved in a targeted, public harassment of a private Prosser citizen on public property.’
She said the “grotesque image” was meant to “publicly humiliate a townsman.”
Prosser City Hall was forced to dismantle its Karen-themed Halloween exhibit after a resident complained that it resembled them
Maricela Sanchez of Prosser claimed the scarecrow, who donned a “Can I speak to the manager” shirt and had shoulder-length black hair, resembled her and was part of the ongoing “retaliation.” [against her] for rejecting a municipal bond proposal in the forthcoming vote.
The exhibit, put up by City Hall, featured a tiny yard sign that read “Karen’s Garden,” and the scarecrow was surrounded by bright orange carnations and tiny pumpkins. The scarecrow was also dressed in fall attire, with jeans and a scarf and a straw hat.
It was dismantled on October 17.
It was part of the annual downtown fall decorating contest, where two winners were awarded trophies for best overall display and best theme.
This year’s judging runs through October 23rd and the winners will be announced on October 28th.
The city apologized for the exhibition, saying it was “not in keeping with the spirit of the competition”. They denied it bears any resemblance to Sanchez or is a retaliation for their opinion on the bond.
“This was in no way intended to be a political statement, any resemblance to any individual or community group,” Prosser City Manager Thomas Glover told NBC Right Now.
“We investigated the issue internally and determined that no one involved in the creation of the entry intended any malice. These actions were unfortunate but unintentional.”
The city will host a training course for employees to discuss why the display was insensitive.
The exhibit, put up by City Hall, featured a tiny yard sign that read “Karen’s Garden,” and the scarecrow was surrounded by bright orange carnations and tiny pumpkins. The scarecrow was also dressed in fall attire, with jeans and a scarf and a straw hat. It was dismantled on October 17
Sanchez has been actively sharing anti-City Hall bonds on her Facebook account, encouraging her friends and supporters to vote “no” to the “expensive, unnecessary tax spending.”
