New York Bans Use of Noose to Intimidate
| More news stories on Liberal Myths |
|---|
Cara Matthews, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), May 16, 2008
Displaying a noose with the intention of threatening or harassing someone is now a felony under New York law—punishable by up to four years in prison.
Gov. David Paterson signed the legislation Thursday. It was proposed after the highly publicized “Jena 6” case in Louisiana and elsewhere in the country and some cases in New York.
Last September, a noose was found hanging in a locker room at the Hempstead Police Department on Long Island. The next month, a noose was found hanging on a black professor’s door at Columbia University.
{snip}
The Southern Poverty Law Center documented nearly 50 incidents of nooses displayed in high schools, workplaces and other venues around the country after the “Jena 6” incident. Normally, the group hears of a dozen or so cases in a year, according to its Web site.
{snip}
The display of a noose was added to an existing law that makes it a crime of first-degree aggravated harassment to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm a victim chosen for reasons of bias. Displaying swastikas on property without permission from the owner and setting fire to a cross in public view are already included in the statute.
{snip}
Paterson said there are flaws in the legislation that should be fixed. It should not be limited to victims chosen on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation.
The conduct should be punished regardless of that, he said. The governor recommended a second change—eliminating the part of the law that allows a property owner to give permission for a swastika or noose to be displayed for an intimidating purpose.
{snip}
  Gov. David Paterson |
Email Cara Matthews at CLMATTHE@Gannett.com.
(Posted on May 20, 2008)
Comments
“Displaying a noose with the intention of threatening or harassing someone is now a felony under New York law—punishable by up to four years in prison.”
LOL! Hillarious. Will photos of watermelons be banned also?
Posted by w.r. at 4:42 PM on May 20
Good, then maybe some of these ‘conscious’ agent provocateurs will be sent to jail.
Posted by at 4:47 PM on May 20
From the ostensible abject terror that seizes blacks when a noose is spotted, one would have thought that until the last decade or so most of the stout hardwoods in the deep South were perpetually festooned with black corpses. Apparently this phenomenon had spread as far north as New York as well, since it is in New York that this strange legislation is proposed.
I suppose this will mean the end of the time-honored custom of hanging-in-effigy as well, which in truth is a far more serious crime, since the effigy is usually that of a government official. I’ve heard that George Bush can’t sleep of late for fear of being hung in effigy, poor sod.
By the way, is displaying a picture of a noose also a crime?
Posted by john at 4:48 PM on May 20
Intentions can not be proven. Intentions will be “determined” after the police make a search of the suspects home, office, car, trash and computer.
This means that any White who is accused of harassing someone will be found guilty. Actual crime is not required.
So the country is at the point where people are arrested and prosecuted for the color of their skin.
Posted by at 4:52 PM on May 20
It looks like this Patterson is trying to use the Stars and Bars as a symbolic device to threaten people with. The lawyers will have field days with this one.
Posted by underdog at 5:23 PM on May 20
Hahahahaha hey….I want to design a pin to wear on my blouse…one of a nice gold noose…see if I get arrested!!! LOL
Posted by lydia at 7:45 PM on May 20
How about just the word “noose” spelled on a bumper sticker?
Posted by at 7:53 PM on May 20
Ban ther noose. OK. So lets ban the X and the clenched fist. These logos are offensive to me. But I am a white honkey, so I have to tolerate them.We are sliding down the slippery slope toward censorship and the end of the first amendment.
Posted by Peejay in Frisco at 8:12 PM on May 20
Relax folks. When the Chinese take over, they’ll institute their own set of laws. Not only will the noose be back, it will be hanging, fully loaded, in town square on a regular basis.
(A part of silly old me is actually looking forward to that time.)
Posted by GetBackJack at 8:12 PM on May 20
“Displaying a noose with the intention of threatening or harassing someone is now a felony under New York law—punishable by up to four years in prison.”
I’d like to offer my thanks to Governor Patterson for proving how accurate I am when stating numerous times that blacks show loyalty only to blacks, without any regard for their other countrymen at all.
Does anybody doubt me now when I write that black partisanship and bias are so great blacks want political office to invoke laws and policies that favor only blacks?
This is Patterson. What is in store for us if Reverend Wright’s Protégée gets in?
Posted by Robert Kelly at 9:24 PM on May 20
“Displaying a noose with the intention of threatening or harassing someone is now a felony under New York law—punishable by up to four years in prison.”
Rope. Tree. Politician…
Some assembly required.
Posted by Wild Eyed Charlie at 9:58 PM on May 20
Fine. Let the racist black african New York lawyer ban the playing of racist african rap music that is played loudly by racist black african youth for the sole purpose of intimidating non-black people. Their racist music is a violation of our civil rights. Will the racist black african New York lawyer defend non-black people too?
Posted by Elrey Jones at 10:22 PM on May 20
Can’t New York address more pressing problems than a piece of rope?
Posted by Carrie at 10:48 PM on May 20
Time to unload that stock in Kentucky Fried Chicken, because that’s the next target.
Posted by at 10:51 PM on May 20
How about the fakers who create their own nooses, display them, and then pretend to be shocked and horrified, in order to stir up emotions?
Will these pretenders also get four years in prison, or not?
Posted by at 11:15 PM on May 20
What constitutes “initimidation?” If one were to hang a noose as a form of artistic expression, would that be an exception? As I’ve seen from other “art”(elephant dung and all) the use of art to offend is considered an “artistic expression.”
Typical liberal goverment policy. The use of symbolic laws that are meant to wipe such things as the N-word, or the Stars and Bars, or any of the plethora of pointless policies, are symbolic only. Unfortunately, these policies require massive amounts of tax dollars. And also unfortunately the “victims” of these “crimes” seem to take more out than they contribute
Posted by Jeremy Douglas at 11:40 PM on May 20
I’m in New York, and here’s a noose, look out, it’s a noose! I’m loose with a noose,.. like a holiday goose… it’s a random noose, might get loose and cook your goose! It’s no use, they say recluse, but I’m no hangman, just a blood with a shaman and we’re sayin’ start to pray’n cos’ we’re playing with a noose, that’s right a noose, gonna set the fuse, you can’t refuse my noose is long and ./……. …. tie in a knot, tie it in a bow but don’t tie a hangman’s knot! If you’ve forgot there’s a law about that flaw, guffaw, guffaw, my coleslaw… gimme some buffalo wings and suds, where’s my dog…. man he’s got a collar, that can’t be right!
Time to make a rap recording about the noose - if a cornball old whiteguy like me can think that up.
Posted by Whiteplight at 12:31 AM on May 21
The degree of incrementalism that these villainous politicians use to slowly strip away the rights of free people is what this is about.
They say insurance is a good thing so they mandate it,seatbelts are a good thing so they mandate that and ever so slowly they mandate their way to a politically correct world in their veiw.
You don’t move a river fast you change it’s course one shovel of dirt at a time, I fear the same is true with people and like a herd of sheep we’re slowly guided into slavery of the mind and body.
Posted by pat at 1:00 AM on May 21
This will likely end up before the Supreme Court, and be struck down. Nobody actually believes that the display of a noose indicates an intention to actually hang someone, as would be the case if a knife or gun were brandished. At worst, it can be taken as an indication of disregard for Blacks and their excessive sensitivity, and obviously protected expression under the First Amendment. But by the time the Court rules, several Whites will have spent a few years in jail for exercising their rights.
Posted by Schoolteacher at 2:15 AM on May 21
“Paterson called them…’a painful reminder of the thousands of lynchings of black men, women and children that took place after the Civil War through many decades of the 20th century.’”
THOUSANDS of lynchings? I very much doubt that—I had thought there were 6 million—but does anyone have a link to some authoritative source that discusses the actual numbers, and other aspects of Southern and other extra-judicial justice in the U.S.?
Posted by H. Dumpty at 2:40 AM on May 21
Nooses are uncivil and unacceptable, whatever one’s views, of course.
I’d love to see some data on the perpetrators of such displays, so that I can get my head straight on this issue.
I have twisted and politically incorrect suspicions about who plants these nooses, and why. This makes me feel guilty.
However, I think jail time for people who display nooses is over-reacting, regardless of whether it’s done as part of some racial shake-down scheme or genuine racism against africans.
Posted by at 3:15 AM on May 21
Criticism of our enemies is being outlawed one piece at a time, not that it really matters. Outside of this forum and a few others it is only passively exercised. And then, only when no one is listening.
We’d better hang together real soon or we’ll be hanged one by one, as Franklin once stated.
Posted by W. Smith at 6:52 AM on May 21
Of course the hoaxers won’t get four years in prison. Why would they? The people they accuse will, as well as the occasional 18 year-old kid. What do you think laws like these are *for*, 11:15 PM? The only point of making an entirely subjective harrassment case a felony instead of a misdemeanor is demonstration of the power of the state over the individual. Under old English law, a felony was anything for which one could have been executed: hanging for commoners and beheading for nobility, so what New York is really saying is that display of a symbol is as serious a crime as rape, murder, or theft of over $500. Laws that criminalize displays of symbols are really an admission by the state that it has abdicated its role of controlling genuine crime. It took New York a decade to connect the rapist who attacked Kelly McGillis to another pair of rapes; this shows you where their priorities really rest.
Posted by Michael C. Scott at 8:42 AM on May 21
This is just another step toward instituting thought crimes.
Posted by Louis from Montreal at 9:15 AM on May 21
Funny that a piece of knotted rope is now a “felony.” You mean I could take a 2’ piece of rope, tie a few loops in it, and I have now committed a FELONY??? Especially if I show it to a “person of color?” “Ha, ha, look here—a knotted loop!…what do you mean I’m under arrest??”
What power a simple piece of rope has! On the other hand, the American flag, which represents our whole nation, can be burned with impunity in the public square—and that’s “freedom of speech.”
I guess the key word is “intimidation?” But let’s examine this. In the case of flag burning, what if it’s done by islamic extremists or other radicals? Is that not rather intimidating? How about blacks loudly playing “kill whitey” rap music from their car radios? Is that also not rather intimidating? The double standard marches on.
Posted by Tim in Indiana at 1:06 PM on May 21
Here is where the cowardice-motivated irrationality of hate-crime laws to appease minorities throws reason in law off the rails.
Under this “noose” law, some white kid just trying his shoelaces in public will get accused of a “hate crime” by a minority, and prosecuted in court.
Posted by Gary at 1:19 PM on May 21
Does this apply to the red licorice noose seen in the movie ‘Juno’?
Posted by Charles at 1:40 PM on May 21
The law doesn’t need to be stronger. As it is now if you’re White and someone draws a sketch of a rope and puts it near you and calls the police you will be arrested and found guilty. If you’re White, you have no rights.
Posted by at 3:28 PM on May 21
Why stop there? How about “possession of rope with intent to conspire to commit an act of speech”? Given the precedents set down as part of our nearly 100-years “war on drugs,” they wouldn’t even need to find you actually in possession of rope. The word of a “reliable informant” is enough to convict you. Yes, you read it correctly. I’m talking about America today in 2008; not Russia under Stalin.
Posted by Jim Sachsen at 3:36 PM on May 21
Does this mean they are going to prosecute the person hanging a noose from some obscure Professor’s door at Columbia?
Translated = The professor herself or one of her enablers did it.
Posted by Dennis at 4:10 PM on May 21
Modern technology has come up with far less detectable ways of killing somebody, only a moron would use a noose. Oh that’s right we’re dealing with people who do not think in the present.
Posted by Lars at 8:36 PM on May 21
LOL - come on people it is just NY. Just you all wait till Obama gets in office - then the noose and lots of other offensive symbols like —- owning a confederate flag — will be banned all over the USA.
Personally I feel threatened by the Black Panther symbol - I wonder if I can get a law passed in NY to make that illegal. Oops - guess not since Mr. Paterson probably is a member of that little old group.
Posted by UncleTom at 11:09 PM on May 21
Blacks wear clothing with the initials: FUBU
“For Us, By Us.”
Intimidating!
Posted by at 11:35 AM on May 22
With all of the problems in the USA and in New York State, this is what is important to the new governor? We are watching the slow death of a nation!
Posted by Steve at 7:46 PM on May 22
So, you think the 1st Amendment is not in trouble?
Posted by Frank at 2:04 PM on May 25
“The degree of incrementalism that these villainous politicians use to slowly strip away the rights of free people is what this is about.” And another poster wrote of precedents- these latter are killing us.
One of our enemies said, decades ago: “We will feed you small doses of socialism until you fall into our hands like an overripe fruit.”
Fabian Socialism…
Posted by spy v. spy at 3:45 PM on May 26