Photo Of Noose In Roseville Park Sparks Comments From Shock To Dismissal

The photo of a manila rope thrown over a tree with a noose tied on one end and posted to the social media site Nextdoor generated a variety of comments and speculation about the intent of the noose. A woman walking her dog early one morning by Hillsborough Park in Roseville, CA noticed the noose hanging from a tree. She posted the image to Nextdoor because she found it disturbing and wanted to inform the community.

Should Residents Be Concerned Over Hanging Noose?

I cannot vouch for the veracity of the image or its location in a public park. But the comments from individuals on Nextdoor were interesting because of how they broke along gender lines. Most women who commented were shocked and saddened at the noose display. Men who commented were generally dismissive and sarcastic in their replies.

Photo posted to Nextdoor in the week of June 25, 2018

Nextdoor is a social media site where people, grouped by the neighborhood they reside in, can post information and ask questions about their communities. There are categories for posts such as Events, Crime & Safety, and Lost & Found. Typical posts in my Lakeridge neighborhood are about being on the alert for rattlesnakes, people looking for built-in wine refrigerators, dogs on the loose, or yard sales. Occasionally there is a political post, or someone who makes it controversial with their comments, like the noose photo.

The general speculation about the noose in the tree from the commenters was that it was a cry for help, a stupid prank by teenagers, or an intentional message to people of color. What I found most interesting was that the women who commented expressed concern for the safety of people. There was discussion of local suicides and information about a crisis hotline.

Comments by women

• Wow, I’d find that disturbing too.

• That is awful! Thank you for taking it down and getting rid of it.

• That is just a gross reminder of things from the past, the present mindset and warning of things to come.

• Thank you for calling it in. Maybe some kids think they’re being funny, shock value, but it’s definitely not and very unnerving to say the least.

• What if it’s not for shock value? What if it’s a preemptive cry for help? These are the kinds of things that people say after the fact, that “there were signs” after something awful happens.

• Crisis hotline number 800-273-8255

• No crime committed? That’s considered a scare tactic for racists. I would call this a hate crime.

• There have been several suicides in [Granite Bay] over the past few years and many more attempts. This has me very concerned and I would urge anyone who has a loved one in a depressed or anxious state to pay attention, ask some questions.

• In today’s environment one cannot discount that it might be racially motivated.

• The “racist’ card is used too loosely and not appropriately, in many cases. However, the history of [nooses] hanging from a tree brings back many bad memories of the awful fact [that] lynching has [and] still does occur to African Americans.

A stark contrast was the comments by men. Some of the male comments were dismissive of the finding speculating that the noose was tied by Boy Scouts practicing their knots. One man thought the post and comments were race-baiting. Another man just wanted to change the topic because it was too uncomfortable for him. One gentleman did note the irony of some previous posts warning neighbors that there were people of color canvassing in the neighborhood and the following shock of finding a noose in a neighborhood park.

Comments from men

• They didn’t do it correctly. It should have 13 wraps! Kids!

• Now why call the police??

• Last I checked, tying a knot is not racist. Nor is putting on shoes or driving a car.

• A noose is a difficult knot to tie

• Yes, by all means let’s bring up the “race card”. Of course, Herren ______ is not “casting aspersions on any race”. She just feels compelled to mention that “the family was mixed race.” German / Irish per chance?

• I find it somewhat amazing at all the discussion on this topic. I guess it’s a “hot button” subject.

Then there was this comment and reply between a man and a woman on the post.

Man: Why waste the authority’s time they have bigger things to worry about. Your my hero for trespassing and taking down something that doesn’t belong to you. Probably took the little Boy Scout hours to make. Look at all the time your stealing from the great citizens of placer county by having them read your pathetic post. (With 5 Thanks from readers)

Woman: Really, _______? Pathetic post? This app is a forum made to post about things going on in the neighborhood and this seems like something that needed to be discussed. I think what is rather pathetic is a grown man commenting with the grammar level of a 3^rd grader on a post meant to bring awareness to the people who live in the area. (With 19 Thanks from readers)

South Placer County does tend to be inhabited by white upper middle class families. But there are many families of color from a variety of different places around the globe. A noose purposefully slung over a tree could be a cry for help, an ignorant prank, or message to people of color. As the comments on the post show, the first reaction of people will be different.

Interesting That Men And Women View The Noose Differently

In order to leave a comment on a social media site, the person must feel compelled to do so. For the women, they were compelled out of empathy for a teenager who might be in danger of committing suicide. For some of the men, they were compelled to leave a comment to dismiss the potential significance of the noose. Plenty of people read the post and either left no comment or just thanked a person for their comments.

I don’t think we can necessarily draw any conclusions about the biases of men or women who live in South Placer County from the comments left on the noose post. In some communities the image of a noose at a public park would have blown up a social media site with calls for action and education. I’m not sure what the response should be, but I’m grateful to those women and men who left comments of concern and support.

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