The local authorities in Oakland, California have lost their minds.
OK, so that’s not a huge surprise. But it’s gotten worse. A lot worse.
Apparetly, the Powers That Be in Oakland have decided that any ropes hung from trees – be it for a jungle gym obstacle course, exercise equipment, or even a child’s swing – constitute a “hate crime” and are "racist."
Or so said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, a white woman who said she's contacted the FBI after several ropes were seen hanging around a neighborhood around Lake Merritt.
“These have no place in our city at any time, but especially in this time," Schaaf said during a press conference Wednesday. "These incidents will be investigated as a hate crime. Evidence has been turned over to the FBI. I want to be clear, regardless of the intentions of whoever put those nooses in our public trees, in our sacred public space here in Oakland, intentions don’t matter."
Intentions do not matter. We will not tolerate symbols of hate in our city. The nooses found at Lake Merritt will be investigated as hate crimes. pic.twitter.com/B1f1SwZ4tK
— Libby Schaaf (@LibbySchaaf) June 18, 2020
Except that when it comes to “hate crimes,” intentions do matter. In fact, they’re just about the only thing that matters, given that the whole premise behind a “hate crime” is the targeting intentions of the perpetrator.
Which brings us to the reason people had been hanging ropes from their trees – and hint: it doesn’t have anything to do with lynching black folks.
One Oakland resident said he hung the rope weeks ago "for exercise and games several months ago." Other community members gave police similar statements, saying the ropes were hung up for kids to play on. Given that kids have been out of school for months and cooped up at home with no public parks or playgrounds to visit, this would seem to make all the sense in the world.
Victor Sengbe, a black man, said he hung a rope to attach a homemade swing for his kids.
“Out of the dozens, hundreds, thousands of people that have walked by, no one has thought that it looked anywhere close to a noose,” he said.
“It’s unfortunate that a genuine gesture of just wanting to create a good time got misinterpreted,” Sengbe said.
Even still, the Oakland Police Department said in a statement that the ropes have been removed and they're investigating the incident as a potential “hate crime” because the “impact” of seeing ropes hanging from a tree branch – however obviously innocent – “can harm our communities.”
“The Oakland Police Department and the City of Oakland recognize especially at this time, that any ropes on or attached to trees, limbs or other objects can be associated with hate crimes and racial violence," police said in a statement. "As a Department and City, we understand the historical and harmful associations when ropes are hung from trees and how the impact can harm our communities. We remind and ask our community to be mindful when using this equipment in a recreational manner. These acts may send an unintended message. The Oakland Police Department and the City of Oakland take all allegations of hate crimes seriously. The Department is conducting a full and thorough investigation of this incident."
Perhaps they should start by having the white lady mayor ask the black man why he intentionally hung a racist lynching noose for his kids to play on. I'm interested to hear his answer.