Hangman's Noose Found at Wallops (Update)
Hangman’s Noose Found at Wallops Flight Facility Construction Site
“The American Federation of Government Employees is working to address recent indications of racial harassment at the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). Last week, AFGE has learned of a hangman’s noose being placed at a construction site on the Wallops Main Base. It has also been brought to our attention that this is not the first demonstration of racial animus and an intention to intimidate and to create a fearful atmosphere.”
NASA GSFC/WFF Internal Memo: Investigation Into WFF Incident (Hangman’s Noose Found)
“I am anticipating a report this week with the results of an investigation I directed to examine the facts regarding an incident that took place some weeks ago at the Wallops Flight Facility. I want to assure you that I am committed to ensuring a work place that is free of harassment of any kind, and there will be zero tolerance for any employee at GSFC who violates the laws and policies in place to safeguard every employee’s rights and expectations of a harassment-free work place.”
This news is disgusting. The perps need to be identified, prosecuted, and jailed – for a long time.
That is a pretty tough sentence for an act that harmed no one. How about punishing actual crimes instead of offensive pranks? It is also possible that the act was done by someone to gain sympathy for the supposed target. That happens a lot.
Just to state the obvious:
1) it is not a prank, since pranks are intended to make everyone laugh and generally feel better.
2) The individual noose indeed didn’t harm anyone physically. Â The phenomena associated with it, namely violent racism, has hurt plenty.
3) Intimidation hurts people for real, even if it’s not physical violence.
4) True, there have been cases of fake threats designed to gain sympathy. Those are, however, the vast minority. That you bring this up calls into question the motivation of your post.
Whether intended or not a hangman’s noose is definitely an act of racial intimidation that does not belong at a NASA workplace or any other place in 21st century America.
 You need to recalibrate your moral compass.
Reading the article, they know there is more to this than just finding an noose knot randomly somewhere. WTF. I can’t believe …. I hope the people at Wallops kick some butt and find this person/people, or someone turns them in.
When one considers how much pain and death racist (and other hatred) attitudes have caused in the US over the decades, and have caused in other countries around the world, past and present, a person would have to be quite literally insane (my non-professional opinion) to still perpetuate this sort of ugly thing in today’s world.  No proposed legal punishment could be worse than the potential consequences of this kind of crime.  And for those who ask, No, I don’t think I’m overreacting or being excessive.  Life, every life, is far too precious to be wasted, belittled, or criminally threatened.  Put yourself — or worse, one of your children — in place of the person who was the intended target of this insane behavior.  What would it take to make you feel that your child as safe thereafter?  I hope they find whoever did this and lock him/her/them up for a long time.