"Make America Great Again. Purge and Purify" Halloween decorations at a house in Utah were called racist and political by some, including neighbors, but the homeowner said the display was just to celebrate the season and would remain -- with a change in tense.
Kade Rogers, 22, of Roy, told The Salt Lake Tribune the decorations covering his garage were simply a takeoff of the "The Purge" horror movie series. He said although he is Republican and a President Donald Trump supporter, the display's wording wasn’t meant to be political, either.
"This is not racist," Rogers told the Tribune. "This is not racial in any way, shape or form. I am not a racist … It's not a political statement, nothing."
His display includes two American flags and lots of red handprints. There are signs in two upstairs windows over a full-sized garage door sign. From a distance, it looks like they are painted on bedsheets.
The dystopian "The Purge" movie series is about one night a year where crime is legal, including murder. The third movie, released in 2016, was called "The Purge: Election Year," and its slogan is "Keep America Great," the Tribune noted.
Nathan Peterson, who lives across the street from Rogers, told KUTV he believed the red-painted sign on Rogers' garage door was loaded with racial animosity.
"Shock, complete shock," Peterson told the TV station about the Halloween sign.
Another neighbor, Jared Taylor, told the Tribune he was taken aback by the display, saying he found it "menacing" and something connected with the president.
Matthew Cale, who is a member of he United Patriots, Prepping and Training Facebook group, along with Rogers, posted a video asking others to step forward and support the decoration.
"This is a man taking fire for a mere Halloween decoration," Cale said in the Facebook video. "He's receiving death threats and the controversy is already rolling in. I fully support Kade, I support anybody's freedom of speech to put whatever you want on your house in the spirit of Halloween. Make it as gory as you like, make it as politically correct as you like, I really don't care."
The Tribune said Rogers tweaked the sign on Friday and it now says "Keep America Great," instead of "Make America Great Again," which he said now matches the movie slogan.
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