Hate crime witnesses sought

This story contains material that has been corrected.

Police are still investigating the circumstances of the hate crime reported to the campus on Friday, including exactly when a noose was first hung outside Nyumburu Cultural Center.

Officials have expressed deep concern over the incident because the noose has historically symbolized the lynchings of blacks during the 19th and 20th centuries.

University Police are interviewing witnesses, reviewing campus video surveillance and creating a timeline before announcing specific details about the incident.

Police said that a Stamp Student Union staff member discovered and took down the noose on Thursday as it dangled from a tree alongside the steps between Union and the cultural center. Police were notified of the incident Friday at 4:15 p.m. and are trying to determine how long the noose hung from the tree, University Police Spokesman Paul Dillon said. "[The noose] was seen by people, so it could have been up 24 to 36 hours prior to its discovery," Dillon said.

Black Student Union Vice President Constance Iloh said members reported seeing the noose a week ago.

"I guess it was just an urban legend until someone reported it to the police," said Iloh, who did not see the rope.

Dillon said building a timeline of events leading to the discovery of the noose is an integral part of the investigation because it will help police determine which video surveillance tapes they should review and improve their chance of noticing suspicious activity.

"We have videos that are in and around the area," Dillon said, referring to the 250 cameras scattered across the campus that are constantly watched by a staff of about five people.

Dillon said police have interviewed witnesses and will continue to speak with new witnesses, but he declined to disclose their accounts because of the ongoing investigation. "We're going to need help from the campus community," Dillon said.

Student leaders said the incident's timely proximity to the sentencing of six black teens in Jena, La., who were charged with attempted murder for beating a white student who hung a similar noose in his school and avoided expulsion, may have contributed to the hate crime's motive. All over Facebook and Youtube, a grass roots movement in support of "Jena's 6" has spread across black America, claiming the teens received unequal treatment.

"With the Jena 6 incident, this is too close for comfort," said Kyle Carson, a member of the university group Community Roots.

Over the weekend, a crime alert and an e-mail from university President Dan Mote was sent to all university students about the incident, and Dillon hopes these notifications will encourage students who may have seen suspicious activity to come forward.

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