Creepy Karen Scarecrow in Washington Gets Taken Down from City Hall after Backlash
The City of Prosser took down a “Karen-themed” Halloween mascot after residents found it offensive, according to Fox 13 Seattle. City officials say the prop wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular but residents claim it was targeted at a community leader. I mean…if the shoe fits.
The scarecrow was put up for Historic Downtown Prosser’s annual decorating contest. An image of it was posted by the Historic Prosser on Instagram. The mannequin wore a “Momo” mask, a straw hat, a “Karen” name tag and a “Can I speak to the manager?” t-shirt. The Tri-City Herald reported the display caught backlash from residents who took it as an insult and did what Karens do: complain. As quickly as the display went up, it was taken down.
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Members of community group Friends of Downtown Prosser, claim the display was targeting one of their leaders - who took charge in opposing a multi-million dollar bond to replace the city hall and police station.
Read more about it from the Tri-City Herald:
Maricela Sanchez, a lifelong Prosser resident and local physician, said that they have faced escalating harassment from residents and even city employees over the past two years as she has worked with others to oppose what they believe is an extravagant bond package.
They said the display was targeted at a group member who is an avid gardener, and a black wig was put on the display to match her hair color.
“This past weekend, City Hall entered an annual Halloween decorating contest with a ghoulish scarecrow dressed up to look like me. Several people who understood the context behind the display immediately complained to the city,” Sanchez told the Herald in an e-mail.
City Manager Thomas Glover told the Herald city employees were behind the Karen-crow and denied any malicious intentions in its creation.
“It’s just unfortunate that some people decided it was targeted toward a resident. I think it got out of hand,” he said.
What got out of hand were the reactions to what seems like just a joke. After all the memes and social media banter regarding those unruly women (and sometimes men), I thought we could agree that Karens deserve to be poked at.
There’s not enough evidence or viral video footage to decide whether Ms. Sanchez qualifies as a Karen. Given the outrage from her supporters, it makes you wonder what she did.
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