Hi! So for context… when my daughter was 3, her dad/my husband died in a motorcycle accident. I was pregnant at the time, and shortly after I miscarried (Dr said probably due to stress from everything happening at the time). Anyways, a week after I miscarried, my friend convinced me to bring my daughter to this fall fest with her and her kids, where the children got to make scarecrows but stuffing donated clothes with hay, and a drawing a face on a stuffed pillow case for the head. My daughter told me that day she was naming her scarecrow “brother” so she could still hug the baby I lost. We have has this scare crow for several years now, and it just kind of sits in our yard, proper up on our porch railing… she goes out there and talks to him, and she hugs him every day and tell him she loves him. He’s pretty old, and the weather has not been kind so his face is completely gone now and his clothes are all faded. But she doesn’t care. He’s become a part of our daily routine, and he’s a very sentimental part of our lives. I also want to add we live in rowhomes with main roads on both our front and back yards, meaning he’s visible where ever we put him.
My neighbor knocked on my door recently and said my “white hooded scarecrow” is racist and they would like it removed. I tried to explain its significance and that it’s just weather worn and not meant to be offensive at all, but they didn’t care and made a huge scene. I tucked him in our shed for the night so the neighbor would leave, but was very rattled by the interpretation. I don’t want to throw him away, but I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable and now I just feel helpless and not sure what to do…. I’m scared if I bring him inside incase he has bugs. I don’t really want my daughter sneaking into our shed, where I keep my yard tools that are dangerous….if i need to get rid of him, how do I explain this to a 6 year old?
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Can the outfit be changed so it's not got a white hood?

I feel like seeing a picture of him might help but it doesn’t sound like he’s wearing a white hood? More like the pillowcase that has his face drawn on was white?
This doesn’t really sound racist and you’ve had it for years? Did this neighbor just move in?

I think we need to see a picture to tell ya if we’d pass it and think it’s offensive.
Maybe change its clothes to not be weathered and or just put it up on the back or side of your house where it’s not in plain view? Maybe maybe a placard explaining it is in remembrance of lost loved ones & not meant to be of any offense to anybody ?
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