Police are investigating the discovery of six nooses at the construction site of an Amazon distribution center in Connecticut.
Windsor Police said a construction company supervisor called them Tuesday afternoon after the first noose was discovered hanging from a steel beam on the second floor of the building.
Scot X Esdaile, the president of the state chapter of the NAACP, said Friday that his organization has been informed that five other nooses were reported Thursday at the site.
Police said ropes “that could be interpreted as nooses” were found on several different floors.
“Some of them were just rope that was tied at the end and some were twisted in a manner to look like a noose,” said Capt. Andrew Power, a police spokesperson.
Another rope that was not tied was found Wednesday hanging from a beam, police said.
“So that means that someone doesn’t really care what the police are doing around here,” said Esdaile, who also is the NAACP’s national criminal justice chair. “They don’t care about the investigation. They are digging their heels into the sand and showing and making people know in this particular community that they are racist and they will continue their racist and white supremist behavior.”
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement Friday that the company and its construction partner RC Anderson are “deeply disturbed” by the incident and are working with law enforcement on the investigation.
“Hate, racism or discrimination have no place in our society and are certainly not tolerated in any Amazon workplace - whether it be under construction like this one, or fully operational,” she said.
Neither police or the company provided information about why the facility may have been targeted.
Esdaile said there have been several allegations of racism at Amazon facilities across the nation, including the discovery of a noose a year ago at a facility in Arizona.
He also said there has been a history of such incidents at construction sites across Connecticut in recent years and called on the industry and state officials to do more to stop what he called a “direct threat to someone’s life.”
“The NAACP knows what the showing of a noose is,” he said. “The NAACP understands and we’ve been in situations where our churches were bombed, children were killed, families were destroyed. We’re not tolerating this nonsense.”
Max Reiss, a spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont said the the governor condemns all acts of hate and has directed state law enforcement to provide “all necessary support to local officials to ensure a thorough investigation is completed.”
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