Three weeks ago, a rope noose was found hanging in the men's locker room of the Hempstead Police Department, and now the national TV media is weighing in. In an 8 p.m. broadcast tomorrow entitled "The Noose: An American Nightmare," CNN looks into the wake of Jena 6, and it doesn't have to look too far before the Hempstead firestorm rears its ugly head.
The network talks to deputy chief Willie Dixon, who says he believes he was the target: "A noose in my mind represents the darkest periods in this country's history...it wasn't enough to lynch an African American. You could castrate him to add insult to injury, and after the lifeless body was hanging from a tree, you would then set that individual on fire."
And more: Police Chief Joseph Wing tell CNN that "in the ensuing days and weeks, I had to deal with the media and media relations. And very important, I had to deal with the morale of the officers... because this is one act it was one individual, but it has such an adverse impact on all of the officers that are working hard. "
And this from Corey Pegues, president of the Long Island chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives: "We're appalled that in 2007, someone has the audacity to put a noose in a police department, where people are sworn to protect and serve."
Meanwhile, the broadcast has an an interview with Nassau County Det. Sgt. Gary Shapiro, who says "the noose is not specifically mentioned in New York State's statutes, but symbols which could possibly be, that could bring some sort of a bias or hateful message, can be addressed through harassment laws that previously existed, to deal with that type of behavior." He says nooses will (per CNN) "eventually be included in New York's hate crime law..."
CNN’s Kyra Phillips reports...