RSS Feed
|
|||||
|
Noose Incidents Prompt
Change In N.Y. State Law Following a rash of cases involving nooses, including one received by the principal of Canarsie High School on October 22, the New York State Senate Majority passed legislation last week to make it a felony to etch, paint, draw or otherwise place or display a noose on public or private property in a threatening manner. A noose is a symbol of lynchings in the Old South. The New York City Hate Crimes Unit is still investigating the Canarsie High School incident, but as of this week there was no leads as to who sent the racially charged letter and makeshift noose "We won't tolerate this. This is a vile act that must be dealt with harshly," said Sen. Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican who sponsored the measure. "There is no place for racism and intimidation in America and this rash of incidents clearly demonstrates the need for tough new penalties." The bill also covers etching, drawing or painting the symbol. Skelos said that, as in the case of Nazi symbols and burning crosses, an intent to threaten or harass would be part of an anti-noose law. The bill was sent to the Democrat-led Assembly, where it is sponsored by Assemblyman Joe Lentol. But it may not consider the measure until it reconvenes in December. In addition to the noose recently received by Canarsie principal Tyona Washington, nooses were also found last month on a black professor's door at Teachers College at Columbia University, outside a post office near ground zero in lower Manhattan. A noose was also discovered in the locker room at the Hempstead police station on Long Island and in the basement of the Hempstead town garage. There have been no arrests in any of the cases. There have been a number of other nooses found in high-profile incidents around the country, including in a black Coast Guard cadet's bag and on a Maryland college campus. The issue has also received national attention in the wake of the "Jena 6" case in Louisiana, in which a group of six black teenagers were charged with beating a white teenager at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana. The beating followed a number of racially incited incidents in the town, including one in which three white students hung nooses from a tree at Jena high school. In 2006, in response to similar past incidents involving swastikas and burning crosses, the State Legislature supported and former Gov. George Pataki approved amending the State's penal law to make the use of those symbols a crime. The anti-noose legislation (S6499) amends New York's aggravated harassment statute to make it a class E felony to etch, paint, draw, place or display a noose with intent to threaten, intimidate or harass. Neil S. Friedman contributed to this story. | |||||
