Two nooses were discovered at a Town of Hempstead Highway Department garage in Roosevelt Wednesday.
The nooses were placed on a forklift at the garage and found by a worker around lunchtime, Town Supervisor Kate Murray said. One of the nooses contained a stuffed cartoon figure with black tar on its face, she said.
Wednesday's racially charged incident in Roosevelt is the latest in a string around the region and country. Last week, two nooses were found in Manhattan; one hanging at a post office near ground zero and another from a black Columbia University professor's door. A noose was also found inside a locker room at the Hempstead Police Department last month.
In 2006, a noose was placed by white high school students in Jena, La., to intimidate and prevent black students from sitting under a tree. Six black students, dubbed the "Jena 6," allegedly attacked a white student in response. The strong charges against the Jena 6, combined with the prosecution's decision to leave the white students' crime unpunished, sparked national outrage.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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