How did the FBI determine that the NASCAR noose had been there since last October?
The only thing I can think of is that other drivers reported noticing it at around that time. If that were the case, why didn’t the FBI say so directly? They make it sound as if there was some scientific proof, Was the noose covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that it had not been touched in a while? That seems a bit far fetched
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From what I heard, it was used as a pull for the garage door. Maybe the person who put it there on the garage door said he did it on a certain date, and maybe they have camera footage of the area (which would be likely if they want to make sure nobody does anything criminal with the very valuable race cars).
I recall old photos were cited.
I think this is nonsense. It isn’t unusual to form a noose from a hanging rope. I do it, and there is no racial subtlety or meaning to it.
In the context of the current protests, and the controversy of NASCAR removing confederate symbols, and the vile backlash that black athletes get for simply kneeling, it was entirely appropriate to suspect an intentional racist incident.
The Swastika is a symbol of divinity and spirituality in eastern religions.
But when you plaster it on a red flag, and have it carried by a skinhead wearing combat boots and carrying a baseball bat, it becomes ridiculous to claim that he is just really into Hinduism.
A noose is a noose is a noose, when used to pull down a garage door. Somebody obviously used a bit of artistic license to fashion the rope into a hangman’s noose. They could have just as easily tied the noose with a bowline knot and somebody could/would have squealed about that. And I’ll bet there was a certain amount of grease and dirt from mechanics hands that was on the rope, showing the age of the knot.
But on all the garages at that track, and other pull downs, the only one that was a noose was the one in the garage of a black driver.
But do we know for sure that the only noose was the one in the garage of the black driver?
@jca2 That is what was determined in an inspection of all the facilities at the track done by the FBI.
@zenvelo: Oh ok. I didn’t read the subsequent articles, just heard that it was determined it was not done intentionally.
@zenvelo: I just googled it and this is cut and pasted from Time.com:
U.S. Attorney Jay Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. said its investigation determined “although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.”
The knot was tied before the garage was assigned to Bubba Wallace. So it could have been any garage, any driver, and there could have been multiples. So it wasn’t specific to Wallace.
You can tie a knot in a rope to form a loop, and it isn’t necessarily a noose. A noose is a rope knotted in a certain way. “Noose” is more a matter of function than form. Calling a knotted rope a noose loads it with meaning whether it is really a noose or not.
When justified sensitivity to symbolism and recognition of foul intent spill over into utterly innocuous cases, they become paralyzing. It no more makes sense to suspect all ropes of being instruments of evil than it does to banish all ponds because they were once used to execute accused witches.
@Jeruba It doesn’t have to be a hangman’s knot in the rope that hangs a man.
@Jeruba, I am not sure what your point is. The rope in question was definitely tied as a functional noose. No other ropes were tied that way, and there is no reason for a rope to be made into a noose. Given the circumstances, investigation by the FBI was justified.
A noose has thirteen turns of the rope.
According to my Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., a noose is…
“1 : a loop with a slipknot that binds closer the more it is drawn 2 : something that snares like a noose”
also, -
“1 : to secure by a noose 2 : to make a noose in or of”
And that is all!
The typical noose used for hanging has several coils and has very recognizable.
@LostInParadise That is true, but a hangman’s noose is tied with a hangman’s (13 coils) knot, which is a slip knot. Apart from the knot itself, the noose is a noose.
A “slip noose” is “a noose with a slip knot”. (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th. ed.)
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