Posted on 10/29/2009 6:02:10 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
Sacramento, CA- The shocking sight of a noose hanging at a house on a busy street drew media attention and protestors last week, but now the NAACP is calling for a criminal investigation against the homeowner.
The Watt Avenue home drew criticism almost immediately after displaying a noose in the same display as a Confederate flag, and members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are looking into legal action that will force the display to the ground and put the home's owner behind bars.
"Immediately I thought this could not be happening in 2009," said Betty Williams of the NAACP. "I thought it was a joke -- a cruel joke at that."
"Here at the NAACP collectively, we all agree this is a hate crime. This is considered racism to the highest," she added.
Protestors picketed homeowner Jimmy West's property on Friday, but his admitted use of the "n-word" to describe them sent emotions running high.
"That is true, but I threw in the word ignorant," West said on Friday. "They were very uneducated about the Civil War."
A new state law says hanging a noose on someone else's private property or some public property a hate crime, but the law says nothing about a homeowner hanging such a sign himself.
The display is certainly offensive, but it may not be illegal. That isn't stopping the NAACP from demanding action.
"Take it down now," Williams said. "It's offensive to me, to the people I represent, and we do not appreciate something like that hanging on a public street."
Disgusting.
What happened to freedom of speech, even offensive speech?
It’s OK for that idiot on HBO to urinate on a painting of Jesus, but this idiot with the noose needs to be behind bars?
didn’t someone hang Condoleeza Rice in effigy and the NAACP not even think of complaining?
The owner of the home should be punched in the mouth, but not sent to jail.
They guy has a right to his display on his own property.
The NAACP has a right to protest it.
Good luck with that “hate crimes” allegation though.
“...It’s offensive to me, to the people I represent, and we do not appreciate something like that hanging on a public street.”
Ah, shut up!
Lots of things are offensive to me, too. I absolutely can’t stand people who whine. The noose is on private property and you have no say at all about his hanging a noose on his own property.
NAACP Joins Fight Against Noose Hanging In Yard
I must have missed the article where they both came out against the Palin hanging in California last year.
They’d probably flip their wigs if they saw the one hanging from the hat rack in my office. I think my former office mate made it one day when he was bored.
Just because you have the protected ‘right’ to do something, doesn’t mean you should. Just as that whackjob on HBO *can* have an episode in which the gag is urination on an image of Jesus, doesn’t mean that he should. And just because this fellow *can* hang a noose in his yard, doesn’t mean he should. The flag is one thing; the noose is just disgusting.
However: I’d much rather have those sorts of people oust themselves so that I can avoid their company. The fact that he called people ignorant is a nice little twist, as well.
I work with that guy now......he's still bored.
racist’s bump
They probably staged the whole thing.
The display is certainly offensive, but it may not be illegal. That isn't stopping the NAACP from demanding action."Take it down now," Williams said. "It's offensive to me, to the people I represent, and we do not appreciate something like that hanging on a public street."
Okay ms Williams. How about a Burning Cross on his lawn instead?
SCOTUS say that's legal. But I'm guessing you wouldn't approve of that either.
ps: No one died and left you boss. And here's a free tip, if it offends you, don't look at it.
Would it help if they put George W. Bush in the middle of the noose? Oh yeah, then the liberals/racists wouldn't have any complaints. Then it would be a first amendment right of free speech.
Searching....
Searching....
Sheesh, can’t seem to find that right to not be offended in the Constitution.
The Watt Avenue home drew criticism almost immediately after displaying a noose in the same display as a Confederate flag, and members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are looking into legal action that will force the display to the ground and put the home’s owner behind bars.
Question, what legal action is available to the NAACP to force its opinions on another American and put him behind bars?
Immediately I thought this could not be happening in 2009," said Betty Williams of the NAACP. "I thought it was a joke -- a cruel joke at that."
Yes, it is a little surprising that, even with almost 10 months of Obama as President, we still have the right to free speech, even offensive free speech like "Republicans want to kill you".
Let's suppose someone from a protected group put up this same display as a way of generating outrage by their protected group against an unprotected group. Let's also assume that the display was indirectly blamed on a member of a nonprotected group.
If this became discovered, would the member of the protected group be charged with a thought or hate crime?
I am asking a serious question beyond the usual response of "no protected group can be guilty of a hate crime" that we throw around here.
Any thoughts?
I have a skeleton hanging from a noose in my front yard right now, but it’s not a black skeleton, so I think I’m OK.
I’ll have to make sure my black skeleton isn’t put in a precarious position. Maybe I’ll have to put him behind a couple of teleprompters.
Has the court really ruled that burning a cross on your own yard is legal? I was pretty sure it was illegal in Virginia.
Which I thought was funny, because it means that while our flag is not protected from being burned, the symbol of Christianity is.
If we only defend speech that is inoffensive,
then what really IS “freedom of speech”?
Yes, it’s offensive,
but it’s even more offensive to contemplate taking this man’s liberty over it.
And last Halloween's hanging of an effigy of Sarah Palin was deemed protected First Amendment speech.
This tardbucket has every right to put this up on his property. The protestors have every right to speak up about it. And somebody should really give the tardbucket a good beating. But not the government - the government should stay out of it.
The “right” to not be offended is the new intimidation tactic of the Left. It never ends, because their power comes from endlessly controlling others behavior. They are variously offended by “alien” halloween costumes, nooses, Confederate flags, certain state flags resembling Confederate flags, Bible verses, crucifixes, American flags, military uniforms, pork, veal, beef, undercooked hamburgers, guns, sharp objects, pictures of guns or sharp objects, milk, peanuts, and moose.
OK, I made up the one about “moose”, but give it time. I’m sure somewhere there’s a liberal ready to whine about being offended by moose.
Liberals don’t seem to understand that the gov’t starts from a deficient moral position because of “the sword he bears”.
Everything the gov’t does is backed by the inherent threat of the use of deadly force.
You have to ask yourself, in everything that you advocate the gov’t do - “Am I willing to kill this person in order to enforce what I think is right?”
If not, then the gov’t is NOT the right vehicle through which to act.
Okay now?
Wacism is for Wabbits and the NAACP is Wacist!
first so what if there is a confederate flag, only the ignorant to history get offended by it.
second why is the noose equated to blacks and not the millions of whites who were killed around the world by the noose.
Have blacks now said hey the noose is ours and we’re offended but we’ll ignore millions of whites who have been killed by hanging
lastly
is the NAACP also offended by blacks turning into muslims who want to form an islamic state in this contry and we’re shooting at police?
Nah course not it’s the usual race baiting crap from them.
Now is this man stupid to show the flag, NO FRIGGING WAY
Was he stupid to have a noose, yes he was.
Does it offend me that he might be using that great flag to make it into a racist agenda?
Yes it does
I hate anyone who uses that flag to think it says to insult. as it does not.
for those liberal trolls.
The KKK flew the American flag at first and still do is that racist too?
The American flag flew over slave ships not the confederate battle flag, is that making the flag American racist?
The American flag flew over the treatment of indians, killing, torture, robbing, raping is the American flag racist too.
The American flag flew over the robbing,m killing, raping etc of southerners during the so called reconstruction so is that racist?
You get the point lefty troll, or I hope you do.
Since when is it illegal to be krass...we have idiots in the White House every day being krass. Obama is krass and a racist, Jeremiah Wright is krass and racist, Van Jones is krass and racist, Al Sharpton is krass and racist, I don’t see anybody going after them for their offensiveness to me.
I have a whole crew in my office that call each other the N-word...which I have never used in my life. When they stop referring to each other by that word then I’ll really start thinking the N-word is racist and krass.
hanging Sarah and Rice is art according to lefty nut but a noose hanging no one is offensive
boy do we live in some messed up times with these lefty lunatics.
MR B
did you read my other post on this and if so what do you think?
Yes SCOTUS ruled that a 'few' years back. A Burning Cross on your own lawn-property is protected free speech, on someone else's its a threat(1). That's why this guy is legally off the hook. The Confederate Flag and Noose are on his own property.
Don't know anything about that Virgnia Law. It may have been struck down, or modified to comply with SCOTUS.
btw, as I was typing my first comment I was thinking of a Halloween Display my wife pointed out to me yesterday in our neighborhood. And which can be seen from a 'main' street.
The home owner has five or six BLACK Ghosts HANGING ('Lynched') from a tree on his front lawn.I got a last second look as we passed by so I couldn't get a good count on the number of 'Lynched' Black Ghosts. But for sure the NAACP and liberal hand wringers would go apoplectic if they see it.
(1) As I recall that Burning Cross case SCOTUS ruled on involved an actual Klan member. And it came down when Rehnquist was still Chief Justice.
I have been called the N word many many times because of where I lived (had to start in the ghetto to get ahead)...
I was called this off black guys and even some black women.
Why?
I am not black either
Nooses without a Republican in it is hate speech?
One thing you have to understand about leftists - they really AREN’T consistent about “the rules”, and have no qualms about that inconsistency.
All they’re interested in is the outcomes, the “solution”.
They believe in fantasy of a “solution” at the end of their struggle that has no tradeoffs. In the face of such a goal, “consistency” is just a barrier in achieving that goal.
That must be the Emperor’s New Noose.
So you are advocating the commission of the crime of assault and battery against a person who exercised his freedom of expression?
very true
Oh, come on ... it's a piece of rope.
Guys a biggot, but he’s right about them being not only ignorant of the Civil war, but about private property rights.
I have to put up with Kayne West being racist on TV, they can deal with redneck on the corner.
Well, it was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I didn't stutter.
What about them waskily Wahibis?
Except to prosecute whoever it was that committed the illegal assault, you meant?
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