Free Republic

ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - A Louisiana teenager has been indicted on federal hate-crime and conspiracy charges after police say he drove past a crowd of civil rights protesters with two nooses hanging from the back of his pickup. Eighteen-year-old Jeremiah Munsen was arrested after the incident last September in Alexandria, Louisiana. The marchers had taken part in a demonstration on behalf of the so-called, "Jena Six," a-half dozen black high schoolers regarded as unfairly prosecuted in the beating of a white student. Munsen was initially booked on state charges of inciting a riot, driving while intoxicated and contributing to the...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A Louisiana teen was indicted on federal civil rights violations for showing nooses to civil rights marchers in Alexandria, La., the Justice Department said. Jeremiah Munsen, 18, was indicted on hate crime and conspiracy charges for his role in intimidating black marchers who attended a rally Sept. 20 in Jena, La., to support six black teens accused of beating a white classmate, the Justice Department said in a news release Thursday. The indictment alleged Munsen and another person attached two nooses to a truck then repeatedly drove past a group of marchers waiting at a...

would have been a new low in Fire Department race relations: the apparent mock lynching of a stuffed toy monkey in a city engine house last month. Black firefighters called it a "terrible act of hate." Racial tension in the department flared. City Hall requested a federal investigation. After a two-week inquiry, the FBI concluded that happenstance, not hate, was the leading factor. The monkey, retrieved from a fire scene, had been draped from a coat rack to dry. The noose was actually an equipment strap around its neck. No racial bias was involved, the agency said.

Ten days after a Golf Channel anchor was suspended for her use of "lynch" in commentary on Tiger Woods, an editor was fired Friday for illustrating the controversy with a noose on the cover of Golfweek magazine.

Golfweek magazine replaced the editor responsible for illustrating the current cover with a noose and apologized Friday for its depiction of a Golf Channel anchor's use of "lynch" in a comment about Tiger Woods. "We apologize for creating this graphic cover that received extreme negative reaction from consumers, subscribers and advertisers across the country," Turnstile Publishing Co. president William P. Kupper Jr. said. "We were trying to convey the controversial issues with a strong and provocative graphic image. It is now obvious that the overall reaction to our cover deeply offended many people. For that, we are deeply apologetic." Turnstile...

JENA (TV8) - It's been over a year since the hanging of nooses at Jena High School. And tonight, Jena is in the spotlight again over what's being preceived as a racial symbol that's being sold in a local store. TV 8's Julie Van Eman sits down with one angry customer who can't believe the store would sell what she says is clearly a depiction of a noose. Hilda Keene is appalled by a product on display at this Dollar General store in Jena. Keene says "I cannot believe a business in LaSalle Parish could sell something like this which...

It is with deep regret and concern that we are sending this email to inform you about a problem at our facility. Recently, in different parts of our property, two ropes were found that were tied in knots similar to a noose. This is clearly threatening behavior and we take it very seriously. We spend a lot of our time at work, and it should be a place where we feel respected and valued by our co-workers. *Company* and *Company* are committed to providing a safe workplace, as we believe this goal to be in the best interest of our...

Pascagoula, MS— It was unseasonably warm on the river when Moses Henry felt the first nibble on his fishing line, waiting a second before setting the hook. His fishing pole bent in half and sent the reel drag screaming as the big catfish began the fight. “This one’s decent”, he said as he reeled a 40 pound Flathead towards the boat. “This is what life is all about” he added. Henry, a 75 year-old retired African-American, has been fishing his entire life. “My first memories are of fishing with my grandpappy. I was scared of the worms and he’d bait...

A former Central Michigan University official, who reported directly to the president, explains why he was recently fired. Richard E. Morrison, the veteran associate vice president for public relations and marketing, said CMU President Michael Rao terminated his employment for a number of reasons including Morrison's personal judgment as well as the way he handled the findings of the nooses on campus. [Emphasis Added] Morrison said Rao had concerns about the information flow regarding the nooses. "I wasn't asking the right questions," Morrison said of a call that he received about the nooses. "I was in the information flow," Morrison...

Carol Swain A spate of hanging nooses is being reported all over the country. This is creating an environment that has encouraged at least one black man to hang his own noose and place the blame on white co-workers. Donald Maynard, a Baltimore, MD firefighter and paramedic, confessed to hanging a noose found last month in the fire station where he worked. Even though his report sparked a federal investigation and public outcry, Maynard will not face criminal charges for filing a false report. We will never be able to quantify the amount of damage that Maynard's action did to...

A firefighter who reported finding a knotted rope and a threatening note with a drawing of a noose in an East Baltimore station house last month had placed the items there himself, city officials said yesterday. The man was suspended last week for performance-related issues and will likely face additional punishment, fire officials said. Sterling Clifford, a spokesman for the Police Department and for Mayor Sheila Dixon, said the man admitted to the hoax and will not face criminal charges. Officials identified the firefighter who they say acknowledged writing the note as Donald Maynard, a firefighter-paramedic apprentice who is black....

State Sen. Ernie Chambers sent a letter to President Bush complaining about a Nebraska police officer and Army Reserve officer who allegedly left a noose hanging in the work area of a black woman, an Army Reserve sergeant under his command. The behavior is conduct unbecoming an officer, Chambers said in the letter, providing details of the alleged mid-October incident and the victim’s response. An Army Reserve spokeswoman verified the military is investigating an equal opportunity complaint on the incident. Bellevue Police Chief John Stacey will also investigate the incident after receiving a letter from Chambers Friday, but said Detective...

A firefighter who reported finding a knotted rope and a threatening note with a drawing of a noose in an East Baltimore station house last month had placed the items there himself, city officials said yesterday. The man was suspended last week for performance-related issues and will likely face additional punishment, fire officials said. Sterling Clifford, a spokesman for the Police Department and for Mayor Sheila Dixon, said the man admitted to the hoax and will not face criminal charges. Officials identified the firefighter who they say acknowledged writing the note as Donald Maynard, a firefighter-paramedic apprentice who is black....

Accusations of racism in a Lee's Summit high school have lead to suspensions, but now the parents say their kids were unfairly punished. Travis Grigsby loves playing drums, but he and his friend Alex Coday weren't able to play for two weeks after they were suspended. It started after the band's performance at a football game. Some kids on the drum line said they were talking about the best knots to use to tie up the drum equipment. "Someone asked if anybody knew how to tie a noose and Travis did admit he knew how to tie a noose," Kim...

LOS ANGELES -- Civil rights leaders said they will demand a federal investigation into a display of nooses found in the Cal State Fullerton quad area last week prior to a campus rally against hate. "The hanging nooses at Fullerton are only the latest in the dozens of hanging nooses that have been found on campuses and work places in California and throughout the nation," said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, President of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable. "We are demanding an immediate Justice Department full probe," said Hutchinson, who planned to hold a news conference this morning to publicize the...

Does anyone still wonder why college culture is the laughingstock of the larger community? Our campuses seem to lurch from one politically correct knee-slapper to the next. Does anyone crack a book at these places anymore? Meet Gabriel Keith, an aspiring journalist who attends Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Keith has served as news editor of the campus paper, volunteering many hours and even quitting his part-time job when it interfered with the paper's needs. Keith came to MCTC after three tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine. He saw some pretty scary stuff there. But now he knows...

Foxman and Sharpton Issue Joint Statement on Symbols of Hate New York, NY, November 1, 2007….Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, and Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network, today issued the following statement regarding the series of recent displays of nooses and swastikas in our community: The recent epidemic of nooses and swastikas appearing in various places in our communities are acts of hate and are intended to intimidate and instill fear. Such acts are despicable, and we call upon all people of good will – of all races, religions and ethnicities – to...

BASTROP (TV8) - Since the events in Jena, there have been a number of reported incidents involving nooses across America--in schools, offices, even on a college campus. Tonight, a newspaper is in dutch over just such a graphic in one of its own ads. TV8's Dustin Barnes has the story. Bastrop Councilwoman Betty Olive got calls from her constituents after this ad appeared in friday's issue of The Daily Enterprise Newspaper. Betty Olive says "Certainly at this particular time, that caught the eyes of a lot of readers and they expressed their concerns. The copy for the newspaper's advertising office...

RALEIGH (AP) — N.C. State University police are trying to find out who left a noose made of toilet paper dangling from a restroom stall door in the Sullivan Shops building. "This could be someone's idea of a prank, or it might constitute a crime," Chancellor James Oblinger said. "In either case, it is inappropriate. This is an act that has become symbolic of racial hatred." An employee found the 10-inch noose Thursday morning in the building that houses a maintenance shop for school vehicles. Few students use the facility, which is on the far western edge of campus and...

A Thibodaux, Louisiana police officer has been fired for hanging a noose from the rear-view mirror of his personal car. A group of black police officers went to the chief of police after noticing the display. Corporal Michael Rodrigue had the vehicle parked on city property. "They're hurt by it. You know, what could he possibly be representing to put something like this up?" Chief Craig Melancon said. Rodrigue originally was suspended with pay. His termination came, Melancon said, after the officer couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for the noose. "I to this day do not know what...