The mannequin, outfitted with beehive wig, glasses and a red coat dress -- appeared to violate no law, said officials of the Secret Service, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the West Hollywood city code enforcement division.
Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition and a free-speech expert, said the Palin display would fall under protected speech, as long as it was not made with the intent of inciting violence.
But Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization of Women, said she believed the Palin display was particularly unacceptable because of its depiction of violence.
"It is a shock to the senses for those of us who work to stop violence against women to see such a public depiction of violence," she said. "This has no place in a civilized dialogue. If you oppose Sarah Palin's policies, say why you oppose them."
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raja.abdulrahim@latimes.com
andrew.blankstein@latimes.com
Times staff writer Victoria Kim contributed to this report.
