A South Milwaukee homeowner is experiencing some emotional whiplash after going up against the local government. The City of South Milwaukee sent out a legal notice to a local couple, ordering them to take down a collection of giant skeletons they had displayed in front of their home.
However, local NBC outlet TMJ4 reports that when the July 7 deadline came, the skeletons were still standing tall in the family’s yard.
They tend to say that you can’t fight City Hall, but it appears that this family was able to do just that.
Keep reading to find out how they were able to get around the city’s order (and what you need to know if you have some of those oversized skeletons in your yard).
@tmj4newsA South Milwaukee homeowner ordered to remove his year-round skeleton display by Tuesday says he plans to keep the decorations up as a growing legal dispute over free speech protections draws national attention. Read more: https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/in-your-community/milwaukee-county/south-milwaukee-skeleton-standoff-homeowner-keeping-display-up-despite-deadline ♬ original sound – TMJ4 News
A South Milwaukee Couple Was Ordered to Take Down Their Decorative Skeletons
Sean and Laura Oster received a notice from the City of South Milwaukee back in May, instructing the couple to take their giant skeletons down prior to July 7. The order was part of a larger request that was made after someone filed a complaint about the state of the property.
TMJ4 says the complaint cited other violations, which included the presence of old tires, junk cars being stored on the lawn, and more. While the Osters said they were more than willing to clean up the trash, the couple’s skeletons remained.
“I hopefully will come to an agreement with the city, and they’ll get to stay,” Oster told a reporter at the time. “Everything else has been taken care of; shouldn’t be any issues at all.”
The Skeletons Can Stay
The Oster’s story quickly went viral and was picked up by national outlets like NBC News and CBS News.
It looks like that extra attention worked out well for the family (and their skeletons), since an update from TMJ4 included a statement from the City of South Milwaukee’s City Administrator, Travis Wells, who said the city was not interested in dictating “residents’ seasonal or holiday expression,” and after reinspection, the city now considers the matter closed. In short, the skeletons can stay.
Can Your Skeletons Stay Up All Year?
These massive skeletons became quite popular during the pandemic, and plenty of families opted to keep them up permanently in order to avoid disassembling and storing them for 11 months out of the year. However, not every town wants to see these skeletons once Halloween is over.
If you find out that your town considers these skeletons persona non grata come November 1, consider following some of the tips from Home Depot (where many of these skeletons come from) and opt to update your skeleton’s look so its style keeps up with the holidays throughout the year.