Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Wednesday that the city will investigate “nooses found on trees” as hate crimes, something the police determined were ropes placed on limbs several months ago by an individual who claimed they were for exercise and games.
Schaaf on Twitter said, “Symbols of racial violence have no place in Oakland and will not be tolerated.”
“Several nooses found on trees around Lake Merritt were removed and will be investigated as hate crimes,” she wrote.
TheHill.com reported that Oakland resident Porchia Freeman was walking in the park surrounding the tidal lagoon of Lake Merritt and saw a string hanging from a tree which she thought was a noose.
She posted a video of the tree to Facebook which purportedly shows the string or rope.
“I posted it because it was very disturbing to me and I thought I would bring awareness to the situation,” Freeman wrote in the Facebook post.
CNN reported that police found five ropes attached to various trees on Tuesday.
"One community member claimed ownership of the ropes and stated that he intentionally placed the ropes on the tree limbs for exercise and games several months ago," police said in a release.
Regardless, Schaaf said a news conference Wednesday that “evidence has been turned over to the FBI” and that “intentions don’t matter."
San Jose NBC affiliate KNTV quoted a man identifying himself as Oakland resident Victor Sengbe as saying the ropes were used to attach a makeshift swing.
"Out of the dozens and hundreds and thousands of people that have walked by, no one has thought that it looked anyway close to a noose," he said.
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