The FBI is joining the Oakland Police Department in its investigation of a fake body hanging from a noose found today near Oakland’s Lake Merritt.
Oakland police received a call about a “fake body hanging from a noose” this morning. Responding officers found material stuffed like a human body with a rope tied around its neck next to an American flag, according to ABC 7 News in the Bay Area.
The racist act is now being classified as a hate crime by the Oakland Police Department.
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The report of the fake body follows Wednesday’s discovery of several nooses on trees surrounding Lake Merritt, which is a popular community attraction in the city.
That incident is also being investigated as a hate crime, according to police.
“The Oakland Police Department and the City of Oakland understand the historical and harmful associations of ropes, nooses, and effigies attached to trees, limbs, or other objects that are often associated with hate crimes and racial violence,” the department said in a statement. “We recognize that especially at this time, any symbolic messages such as these incidents frighten and harm our communities.”
Due to recent events, Oakland PD has extra patrols around Lake Merritt during this time.
We’ll keep you posted on any updates.
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