OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued a statement Wednesday after several nooses were recently found around Lake Merritt.
“Symbols of racial violence have no place in Oakland and will not be tolerated,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Mayor Schaaf said the nooses have since been removed and will be investigated as hate crimes.
The woman who took the video told KRON4 News that while she was doing an interview, a man approached them and said he was the one who hung up the rope, claiming it was set up so his child could use it as a swing set.
Nonetheless, reports that the nooses were part of exercise equipment “do not remove nor excuse their torturous and terrorizing effects,” the statement added.
The woman now said she has many questions, especially after there were reports of multiple nooses found — not just one.
This comes amid the recent deaths of two black men, who were found hanging from trees in Southern California within 10 days and 50 miles of each other.
The families of both men – Malcolm Harsch and Robert Fuller – are denying authorities’ claims that the deaths were suicides.
Oakland Police Department released information on Wednesday afternoon in regards to their investigation.
Authorities say they responded to the area of Staten/Bellevue around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, and noticed the five ropes attached to trees.
The Department of Public Works was contacted and removed the ropes.
During their investigation, police say multiple members of the community have reported that the ropes were hung for exercise use. Authorities say one person claimed to have hung them up months ago for exercise and games.
In a statement, police said:
“The Oakland Police Department and the City of Oakland recognize especially at this time, that any ropes on or attached to trees, limbs or other objects can be associated with hate crimes and racial violence.
As a Department and City, we understand the historical and harmful associations when ropes are hung from trees and how the impact can harm our communities. We remind and ask our community to be mindful when using this equipment in a recreational manner. These acts may send an unintended message.“
At this time, extra patrols have been assigned to the Lake Merritt area.
The city is taking all hate crime allegations seriously and police continue to investigate the incident at this time.
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