Spring Valley residents met at a community relations forum in Suffern Wednesday to discuss a racially-charged incident that led to outrage last month.

At issue was a black-faced dummy, wearing dreadlocks and a hooded sweatshirt, found hanging outside a home during the Jewish holiday of Purim.

The effigy was purportedly put up to represent an old story about an evil king, Haman, who wanted to kill Jews, but was ultimately defeated.

But for many African-American residents, the dummy evoked images of lynchings.

The owners quickly removed the dummy and apologized for the incident, and Wednesday the Darchei Noam Yeshiva in Suffern invited NAACP leaders as guests of honor to a community meeting.

Leaders spoke to students about the doll, why it was offensive and about respect for one another.

(Source: News12)