by Lana Evans

Created on: April 21, 2008

It's sad that we have to enact laws to police poor attitudes, but some people really don't care about how their actions are taken. They aren't concerned with whether their behavior is offensive. In fact, I am fully aware that there are people who would object to this law, deeming it unconstitutional; they'd say it denies them of their freedom of speech. But some people go too far with the freedom of speech issue. They are downright sloppy in saying what they want, when they want, and as offensively as they can manage to. It's like it's a game to them; a challenge to see how far they can get with totally objectionable statements, often put in the crudest ways possible. And sometimes they think they are funny.

But what they don't get is that by hanging nooses, the only statement that they get across is one that is not valid or reasonable. It's just not reasonable for people to think that they can bully or terrorize another group into obscurity. We all have to live here. What's wrong with just accepting that, even embracing it?

The issue of nooses is like that of the Rebel flag. People think they can just bring distress onto society with their stubborn sense of hatred. They don't want to make friends, they just want to reject people. They create unrealistically exclusive standards for those whom they are willing to associate with. I don't think that type of person doesn't like living in communities with Black people; I think that type of person just doesn't like living in communities, period. Even as a white person, I wouldn't trust a person who hung nooses out, because if that person is so full of hate, then they will come to show me hate, too, eventually.

But another reason noose hanging should be considered a hate crime is that it isn't only initiated with hate, but it also encourages hate; retaliation. Most mature, respectable Black people won't go off and try to bring physical harm to a noose hanger, but some younger people will. The sight of such a blood-boiling symbol just doesn't bring out the best in people. Period. It's like a form of mental pestilence. Nobody asks to see that sight, it just comes uninvited. Nobody asks to get riled up or provoked.

You have several people, minding their own business. Maybe some of them are having a pretty good day. Then they look up and see a symbol that might as well be on a billboard with the words, "Get out!" printed under it. Then what? That's enough to ruin more then an afternoon. That's enough to ruin a week, a month,

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