There has been another incidence of someone hanging a noose in a public place. This time it was at the high school in Pearland, Texas. A security guard caught two students, a 16 year-old and a 17 year-old, hanging a noose on the band director's platform in the school's parking lot before school had started for the day.
The two juniors were arrested by Pearland police, and will be charged with disorderly conduct. Pearland Police spokesman Roy Castillo said, "If they thought it was some kind of a joke, we want them to know that we don't think it's a laughing matter". The two students will also be sent to an alternative school for a month.
I don't know what the hell is wrong with people lately. This is happening far too often. In addition to the infamous "noose hanging" in Jena, Louisiana, there have also been incidents at Columbia University and at an industrial plant in Houston.
After the noose was found in Jena, some people said it was just a prank. I imagine there will be those who say the same thing about the Pearland noose. But that's ludicrous. Hanging a noose in our society is not a prank -- it's a racist threat. There's simply no other way it can be interpreted.
I applaud the security guard and the Pearland police for dealing with the situation quickly. I hope the city/county will now follow through with the criminal charges. It would be a miscarriage of justice for the charges to be dropped.
In fact, I would not be opposed to changing the law to make this an even more serious crime. There is no room in our society for racist behavior and threats.
IMO, the current overt racism in the discussion over immigration has removed the taboos we've had on this type of behavior. I wouldn't be surprised to see an increase in white supremest memberships.
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