DETROIT -- There's an empty spot on the porch at a house in Warren, Mich. where a pumpkin used to sit.

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The profane pumpkin, crudely carved and on the front porch of the home, was taken away after it created a stir with neighbors.

The pumpkin was carved by 13-year-old Christina Hall and said the crude display was "just for laughs." The pumpkin contained the words "(expletive) off."

"That's just inappropriate," said Carrie White, an outraged neighbor, who lives next door to the cursing pumpkin.

She called Warren police and sent an e-mail to Mayor Mark Steenburgh, who promised to contact the chief of police.

The response was "Sorry, we can't help you," White told WDIV TV. It seems the pumpkin is protected by the First Amendment and it's a case of freedom of speech.

The pumpkin is now gone, however. Warren police changed their position on the issue, saying if the object causes a public disturbance, they can remove it or order it removed.

In this case, the family removed it themselves Thursday night before police arrived and it's now in the trash.