This episode marks the first appearance of Cleveland Junior (Loretta and Cleveland's son).
When Stewie says "My God, I've been adopted by a Benetton ad!", this refers to the Benetton Group's multicultural clothing advertisements.
Rod Serling, former host of 'The Twilight Zone', appears in the episode to give a typical exposition seen on the show. The neighborhood strife is similar to the episode The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (1960).
While watching TV in the beginning of the episode, Stewie has letter blocks arranged to spell the word "Redrum," a reference to The Shining (1980). it is also noted the "Redrum" is "murder" spelled backwards.
'Charles Heston''s line 'let my pigeons go' is a parody of his famous line 'Let my people go' from the film The Ten Commandments (1956). His shooting of the pigeon is a reference to the fact Heston was president of the National Rifle Assosiation, and a strong supporter of gun ownership (which also explains his response 'it's your right as an American citizen', after being shot).