Earlier this week, we reported on the hanging of a noose around the neck of a
statue of Tupac Shakur at the Tupac Amaru Center for the Arts in Stone
Mountain, Georgia. Today, new developments in the case dispute the
theory that a noose was found at the scene.
Dekalb County Police investigating the incident
are now disputing the initial claim and according to spokesman Marcus
Hodge, a piece of orange nylon and a wooden cross were found around the
neck of the deceased rapper.
Police reports confirm that the hanging of the
nylon string was part of a series of acts of vandalism committed at the
property. Last weekend, underwear was found on the head of the statue
and a series of stickers were placed on the statue—which sits in the
Peace Garden of the complex—and on walls near the surrounding area.
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Despite skepticism from police, the center stands by its initial press release, calling the acts a hate crime.
“Hate comes in all colors and genders therefore
we will use this act of hate and ignorance to bring our community
together and to pray for the healing of those who harbor such
feelings,” Afeni Shakur said previously in a press statement.
In another, unrelated incident, police also
responded to a call of a “suspicious person” on the premises early
Monday morning. Hodge told the press that an unidentified 37-year-old
man wanted to “talk to Tupac.“
Stay tuned to HipHopDX for more on this developing story.
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In a similar story, an African American high school principal in
Brooklyn received a noose and a letter loaded with racially charged
comments over the weekend according to a New York Times report.
The package and letter were opened early Monday
morning and were addressed to Tyona Williams who is serving her first
year as principal of Carnasie High School. The letter contained the
signature of another administrator at the school—who is white—but
police believe the signature is fake.
Williams was not directly threatened with
violence in the correspondence, but phrases like “white power forever,” “I’ll give you enough rope to hang yourself,” and another racial slur
were included in the two page letter. The writer—or writers—also
implied that a black person should not be running a school.
As of press time, police have no leads or
suspects in the investigation, but are receiving full cooperation from
the New York City Department of Education.
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“We’re cooperating with the police
investigation,” said Dina Paul Parks, a New York City Department of
Education spokeswoman told Newsday.com. “Obviously it’s a terribly
horrific thing to have happen to anyone and we will make sure that the
school and principal receive all the support that they need.“
This incident comes on the heels of the New York
State Senate’s unanimous passage of legislation that calls for harsher
penalties for those who display nooses on private property.
Carnasie High School is a public school.
The latest noose incident is one of nearly a
dozen incidents across the country since the case of the Jena 6 gained
national attention.
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Historically, the noose has been used by
hunter’s to catch animals, or by suicide victims who hung themselves.
However, the noose is best known for its use in lynchings of African
Americans during the time period of 1880-1960s.
