Florida lawmakers push measure to ban public display of noose [View All]

Florida lawmakers push measure to ban public display of noose
Long characterized as a symbol of racial terror, the noose might soon be banned in the state.


TALLAHASSEE -- The picture, spread virally on the Web, was the last straw for state Sen. Frederica Wilson. It showed a man posing in front of the White House with a noose wrapped around an American flag.

``Some people think of it as a harmless prank, but the noose is a sign of hate and deeply offensive to African-American people,'' said Wilson, a Miami Democrat. ``It is wrong. And it needs to be stopped.'

Wilson on Tuesday presented a bill to a Senate committee that would make it illegal to display a noose in public if it threatens or intimidates. The proposed law would not apply to those who consent to having a noose on their property.

The bill, which is also being pushed by Tamarac Democrat Rep. Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed, will likely face FirstAmendment questions, and then must capture the attention of a Legislature focused more on dollars and cents than moral issues.

``We're going to deal with the budget because that's what we have to do,'' Wilson said. ``But there are other concerns that don't cost money and if it's something we can fix, we should fix it.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/10/1521495/lawmakers-push-measure-to-ban.html