In the state of Oregon (USA), it was proposed to ban the demonstration of rope loops because of racism. According to lawmakers, such images are reminiscent of lynching during the era of slavery in the country. Writes about it CBS News.
State legislators have begun considering a bill that would make it an offense to display loops. The punishment can be imprisonment for up to a year and a fine of 6.2 thousand dollars.
One of the proponents of the ban, a black Eugene councilor named Greg Evans, noted that the loops remind him of the family's dire past. According to the man, his ancestor was lynched in one of the American states over 100 years ago. “He was essentially killed for insulting a white man. They hung him up on a noose. His body was riddled with bullets and then they set him on fire, ”he says.
The reason for the demands to ban loops was an incident in January in Eugene. Unidentified persons threw a noose into a recycling container, which stood outside the house of an interracial couple. They also wrote a racist insult on their car. According to Evans, ordinary teenagers could have done this, but even they should understand that “they are not joking with such things.”
Several US states – Louisiana, Virginia, California, New York, Maryland, and Connecticut – have already criminalized the display of rope loops.
