[Tsa] Nooses outlawed in NY state

[Julian Padilla]

Governor Patterson of New York Outlaws the display of nooses:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iS_xLHn2tbT41lA7L8Ml0Q8PhvQQD90MC9F80

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New York outlaws displaying nooses as a threat

By VALERIE BAUMAN – 4 days ago

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The state of New York has outlawed the display of  
a noose as a threat, following several high-profile cases involving  
the symbol of racist lynchings.

Gov. David Paterson signed the law Thursday to make such displays a  
felony punishable by as many as four years in prison.

"It is sad that in these modern times there remains a need to address  
the problem of individuals who use nooses as a means of threat and  
intimidation," he said in a statement. "But it is a reality, and if  
we ignore it we would be derelict in our duty."

Nooses were found last year on a black professor's door at Columbia  
University, outside a post office near the site of the Sept. 11  
attacks in Manhattan, and on Long Island.

They also have shown up in a black Coast Guard cadet's bag aboard a  
cutter and on a Maryland college campus. One of the more prominent  
cases involved black teenagers charged with beating a white student  
after nooses were hung from a tree at a Louisiana high school.

Conduct already covered by the law includes the display of swastikas  
on property without the permission of the property owner, as well as  
the burning of crosses.

Connecticut passed a bill this year making noose displays a  
misdemeanor unless property is damaged, which would be a felony. At  
least two other states, Louisiana and Maryland, have considered  
similar rules, according to the National Conference of State  
Legislatures.