Sheriff's 'ghost costume' for horses criticised for KKK similarity

Sheriff’s officers in Ohio decided to get in the spirit of Halloween and dress their horses up like “ghosts,” - but they were swiftly critisised by residents for looking too similar to the Ku Klux Klan.

In a report from FOX 8, the Mounted Unit of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office caused the backlash when they were seen going around the town dressed in massive white sheets with holes poked out for eyes, nostrils, and ears, that covered the length of the animal’s bodies.

The horses were also adorned with orange pumpkin lights.

The officers initially thought this would be a creative way to delve into outreach for the community.

“As the horses went down the street, they were lit up for Halloween. To tell you the truth the community loved it. Kids said they were great ghost horses,” Sheriff Frank Leonbruno told FOX 8.

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However, once the pictures were shared on Facebook, but some residents didn’t hesitate to share that the horses’ resemblance to how the KKK dressed their horses matched the notorious white robes and hoods.

One resident reached out to FOX 8 to not that it was a “poor” depiction of a ghost.

“You go back and look at pictures of the Ku Klux Klan; it’s like the exact replica of what the horses looked like,” they said.

The news spread to other social media platforms like Twitter, with many sharing the same sentiments.

“This is crazy smh. Un******* believable!!!” one person wrote.

“They absolutely know what they are doing. And they’ll do it right to your face and say, ‘it’s not that deep,’” another added.

Someone else believes that despite the unfortunate similarity, the officers didn’t intentionally try to make the horses look like the KKK.

“I mean.... def looks a lot like it but OBVIOUSLY not on purpose,” they wrote.

The negative comments soon prompted Sheriff Leonbruno to remove the Facebook post.

He also explained that he didn’t believe his officers were in the wrong and didn’t mean to offend people.

“I’m sorry that perception was there,” he told FOX 8.

Indy100 contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office via email for comment.

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