By the Daily Post staff
Stanford officials said today (July 16) they have launched an investigation into the discovery of a noose hanging from a small tree on campus.
Medical students visiting Stanford for a summer program spotted the noose on Friday night near a residence for summer students.
“My immediate thought was nothing but fear because I’d never seen a noose,” Cheron Perkins of New Orleans told NBC Bay Area. “I was just distraught. I got on (the) Southwest (Airlines website) and started looking for a plane ticket.”
Perkins tweeted a photo of the noose and said she called Stanford police, but they took over an hour to respond. “I also called the 911 operator and was told ‘this isn’t an emergency.’ … I’m definitely concerned and want justice.”
Deputies found a white rope, approximately three-feet long and one-quarter to one-third of an inch in diameter, with a loop at one end suspended from what could be described as a small tree or tall bush.
“The incident is currently under investigation as a suspicious circumstance, but if additional evidence comes to light, it may be re-classified as a hate crime,” the university said in a statement.
“While we await further conclusions from the investigation, we feel it is important to state that a noose is recognized as a symbol of violence and racism directed against African American peoples,” the Stanford statement said. “Such a symbol has no place on our campus. Our community values affirm the dignity of all peoples and call upon us to strive for a just community in which discrimination and hate have no presence.”