An investigation has been launched by authorities in Atlanta after a “noose-like rope” was found attached to a tree near to the city’s first Black history museum.
"Even if it was done as a joke. It was not a joke. It was not a funny thing to do,” said Dan Moore Jr, president and CEO of the APEX Museum, which is located across the road from Georgia State University.
Moore found the rope Wednesday morning and posted footage of it online, which quickly went viral and sparked outrage.
"[I] saw a rope up in the tree,” he told Fox5. In closer perspective, it was a small circle around the rope because it was tied up, almost noose-like."
He added: "I felt like it was a problem because of this time that we’re living in… Why do I have to look up a rope in the tree that resembles a noose?"
Founded in 1978, the APEX Museum is Atlanta’s first museum dedicated entirely to Black history, highlighting the African-American experience through exhibits on slavery, civil rights, and Black innovation.
The Independent has reached out to the Atlanta Police Department for a statement and any updates in the investigation into the incident.
In a statement, the Georgia State Conference NAACP said it was “deeply disturbed” by the discovery of the rope near to the campus and that its presence “on any campus is unacceptable.”
“A noose is not a prank — it is a threat. It is a symbol of racial terror, historically used to intimidate and silence Black communities through fear and violence,” the statement, put out by Georgia NAACP president Gerald A. Griggs, read.
The group also called on GSU to launch “a full and transparent investigation” in coordination with campus and city law enforcement, providing regular updates on findings, and take appropriate disciplinary action on those identified.
It also called for protections and support for staff and students who felt threatened by the incident.
“Our students deserve to learn in an environment free from intimidation and hate. Symbols that recreate the trauma of racial violence have no place in our institutions of higher learning,” Griggs’ statement added.
GSU student Kyler Winston-Kendricks, who also interns at APEX Museum, said the location of the discovery, in a “Black historic neighborhood” was poignant. "It’s pretty much adding fuel to the fire," she told Fox5. “It says a lot."
