Oregon moves to ban display of nooses, a racist symbol
SALEM, Ore. (AP) Greg Evans, a Black man who joined a parade of witnesses urging Oregon lawmakers to ban the display of nooses, said the issue was personal for him: A member of his family had been lynched over a century ago in South Carolina.
He was killed basically for offending a white man, Evans, a member of the Eugene City Council, testified Tuesday. He was hung by a noose. His body was riddled with bullets, and then he was set on fire.
Louisiana, Virginia, California, New York, Maryland and Connecticut previously criminalized the display of nooses. The bill under consideration in Oregon would make intimidation by display of a noose a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a $6,250 fine.
In Virginia, displaying a noose in public places is now a felony, with a maximum prison term of five years. The state Supreme Court, ruling in the case of a man who hung a life-sized, black mannequin in his front yard, said in 2018 that the law also applies to private property. Two Black families lived in the neighborhood, including one next door.
Read more: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Oregon-moves-to-ban-display-of-nooses-a-racist-15998045.php