The Noose: A Symbol of Terror…

The noose is more than just a piece of rope, it is a symbol. To some the noose is a symbol of execution; to African-Americans the noose is a symbol of terror. Louisiana and other states have taken steps and passed legislation to outlaw the use of the noose to incite terror. This is in the wake of the incident in Jena, Louisiana which sparked a debate in America about race and symbols.

Louisiana has passed legislation that makes hanging a noose, or an image of one, on another person's property or on public property with "the intent to intimidate" illegal and punishable by up to $5,000 and up to a year in prison.

There are those that voice opinions about the affect this law has on freedom of speech and the affect of the broadening definitions of terrorism.

The Baton Rouge Advocate published an editorial against the “misguided” legislation in which they claim that the “cure would be worse than the disease.”

"We find the issue very similar to attempts to criminalize burning the U.S. flag. One can be repulsed by such gestures, while at the same time worried that banning them outright would create even bigger problems."

The difference: burning American flags where not used to murder thousands of people.

Left of College Station is an adamant supporter of freedom of speech and everything that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution stands for. This blogger will defend the rights of everyone to practice free speech, even those whose speech that this blogger considers ignorant, intolerant and odious. However, hanging a noose is not just a symbol of hatred, it is a threat. This is not a debate about an artist’s incorporation of a noose into a piece of art on the street corner, this is about hanging a noose in a black police officer’s locker room or hanging a noose in an area where black students have been known to congregate.

Hate crimes, whether they are against a person because of their race, gender, or sexual identity, are a form of terrorism. Terrorism is defined by Webster’s as the “systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.”

September 11th, it is a date that is burned into our collective conscience. In fact it is not just seared into our memories by what we all experienced on that day, but it is continually invoked by our politicians, in the media, and on bumper stickers. However, June 7th is not remembered as anything other than the day after June 6th. On June 7, 1998 James Byrd, Jr. was murdered by Shawn Allen Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John William King, in Jasper, Texas. Byrd, a black man, was dragged behind a pickup truck by three white men for three miles. This did not happen fifty years ago, this happened ten years ago.

What we fail to realize that even while we stand on the cusp of electing a black President, we have still not escaped the racism in America. This is not about political correctness or someone’s right not to be offended. We should all be offended that any of our fellow citizens still live in terror today.