HOMEWOOD, Ala. (AP) — A Halloween display outside of an Alabama home that showed a dark-skinned man hanging from a noose has sparked outrage and prompted the homeowners to remove the piece.

Al.com reports homeowners, Jennifer and Marc Wolfe, say they were stunned to learn people were angry about it. They say they thought it portrayed a burned white man when they and their 11-year-old son hung it from a tree in their front yard.

Facebook user Alexus Crumbie posted pictures of the display online Saturday, calling it a “fake display of a lynching.” Crumbie asked for readers to not harass the family, but to “publicly condemn acts of racism.” The post gained traction, and the family removed the display.

Marc Wolfe says “We’re not racist. Did I make a mistake? I guess so.”

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Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews