Minnesota Piñata Business Mistaken For Mock Lynching

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Three figures hanging from a porch in Minneapolis horrified neighbors who mistook the scene as a mock lynching. A photo of the home showed what looked like African-American effigies hung by a rope.

In fact, the house is where Victor Chavarria runs his business, "Happy Kids Piñatas." Chavarria faced angry messages and even death threats after the photo of his piñatas spread quickly online.

"I was a little upset about it," Minneapolis resident Candace Thurman told Minnesota Public Radio. "I just thought it was really inappropriate."

Chavarria and his wife would often hang their paper-mache creations on the porch to let them dry out. The viral photo captured a custom order he was working on; a wedding party that was to include white, Latino and African-American figures.

"I deeply apologize," Chavarria told MPR. "Effectively immediately, I changed my processes. I wouldn't do anything to offend anybody, they gave me my feedback and of course, I listen."

The small business owner agreed the scene he created at his home was offensive.

“It looks horrifying,” Chavarria told City Pages. "I realized right away how horrible it looked without any context."

Image via Shutterstock