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The Jena Six controversy - occurring last December in Louisiana, where six black students were charged with attempted murder after beating a white student after nooses were placed on a tree where the black students sat - has precipitated an influx of nooses in the United States that have shown up in public places where African Americans reside: in the workplace, on college campuses, on personal properties, and elsewhere.

An incident that occurred between high school kids has become a national controversy, which has spawned a national awareness on racial grounds. Who could have imagined that such solitary event would galvanize the country and bring a split of opinions, beliefs, more hatred, and death threats?

The dozens of nooses placed around the country have been countered with known civil rights leaders (Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King, Jr. III, etc.) who feel obligated to vociferously speak out in public, protest, demand that something be done, and pressure authorities to take action to stop such hateful practice. This noose issue, racially-charged issue for a better term, has brought out large numbers in many protests, as many as 10,000 heads in some rallies.

Therefore, some questions must be asked: Are African Americans taking it too far by publicly speaking out? Should Blacks ignore the nooses and take them as a prank? Should Blacks remain quiet and wait until something grave occur like a lynching? Absolutely not!

More importantly, should hanging a noose in public be considered a hate crime? Emphatically yes! It is most definitely a hate crime and should not be treated differently.

Many have join the conversation by chatting online, writing in forums, rendering articles on writing sites, and so forth. Everyone has something to say, from scholars to students, from civil rights leaders to politicians, from experts to average citizens, and all who wish to share their views on the volatile situation.

Some argue that the noose should not be problematic because (1) it's a freedom of speech, (2) it's not a hate crime, (3) it's only a rope, and other ridiculous claims.

The first argument at hand is freedom of speech. There is no doubt that we all should have freedom of speech, but when that freedom of speech is accompanied with hateful signs displayed in public that may possibly bring about deaths, riots, and who knows what, then it becomes more than just free speech. It becomes hateful

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