It’s an old image, seared into the consciousness of society. In the South, the symbolism is unmistakable.
The noose, however, is not something the University of West Florida campus police are used to dealing with.
“This is all new for us,†said UWF Chief of Police John Warren.
Last week, a student reported finding a noose hanging near a dormitory. It has turned out not to be an isolated incident.
“Apparently not,†Warren said. “We’ve got a second report. We’ve got a report of one found by the tennis courts this morning.â€
Last week, a student found a noose behind Martin Hall in a parking lot. Warren said it was looped at one end like a noose and hung from a tree about three feet off the ground.
The noose near the tennis courts was found draped over a sign featuring a campus map.
“It was a smaller rope,†Warren said, describing the second noose as being tied with a “brightly colored†rope.
In the segregation-era South, nooses were frequently used in lynchings. Today, the noose is viewed as conveying a specific message.
“We’re investigating this as a hate crime,†Warren said, explaining that the noose is used as a means of intimidation.