One year after she won a case acknowledging her
first amendment right to display a middle finger in Christmas lights on
the roof of her home, a Denham Springs woman has brought back the display this year as part of an ongoing feud with a neighbor.
Resident Sarah Childs claims she is continuously harassed by
neighbor, Kayla Weldon, so she put the display up rather than partaking
in other forms of conflict. "You know lots of people just resort to
violence," says Childs. "Look at road rage, people flip each other off
all the time. I really don't see what the big deal is."
Last year marked her first visual display of the Christmas "bird" and it sparked national
media attention when law enforcement officials forced Childs to remove
the lights, but later the ACLU stepped in and sued the city causing
Denham Springs to eventually drop the matter.
Weldon says the display has angered and offended every single
person in their neighborhood and claims that Childs is doing it solely
for attention.
"She's crazy! She thinks she's going to get famous from all of this crap," Weldon said.
Childs' refutes the accusation by saying the illuminated middle
finger is an appropriate form of expression given the intensity of the
feud. "I'm not doing this for publicity," says Childs.
"What other way do I have to express my angst? People have feelings and
emotions. And she's still slandering me all over Facebook."