For the third time within a week, a noose was found hanging in Washington D.C., sparking outrage from District officials and residents.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray, and D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham joined about 100 people in Hillcrest for a rally and vigil on Sunday, in response to a noose that was found hanging from a house that was under construction in the neighborhood.

Workers found the noose on 36th Place SE around 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to D.C. police.

Tammie Hawkins, who lives near the home in Hillcrest, told The Washington Post that the noose was found dangling from a beam on the front porch of the unoccupied home on her quiet block. Hawkins said that her 13-year-old daughter asked to pick her up from school on Friday because she didn’t want to walk to the bus stop in light of the incident.

“It’s still so unbelievable,” Hawkins told The Post. “That’s not something that happens in Washington, D.C.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser told Hillcrest residents at a community meeting on Saturday that she’s confident that the perpetrator will be caught, according to The Post.

The mayor also released a statement on Saturday saying that D.C. is “an inclusive city, and we do not tolerate signs of hate, ignorance, and fear.”

“Our diversity is what makes us stronger, and we will not relent in promoting and defending D.C. values,” the mayor said. “We do not take these incidents lightly, and we will not accept that signs of hate are signs of our time.”

Councilmember Gray said in a statement that he asked the Metropolitan Police Department to assign more police to the area near an elementary school close to the site. He also said that more surveillance cameras should be put around schools “to extend the reach of police.”

The mayor said at the meeting that D.C. has seen a rise “in both hateful speech, hateful rhetoric, and real hate crimes,” The Post reports.

According to D.C. police data, there have been 5 hate crimes related to race reported in D.C. this year out of 40 total bias-related incidents. That’s compared to 31 bias-related incidents reported this time last year.

On Wednesday, visitors found a noose hanging in an exhibit on segregation inside of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, which prompted Smithsonian employees to gather in solidarity outside of the museum the following day. Another noose was found hanging from a tree near the Hirshhorn Museum on May 27.

Last month, bananas were found hanging from strings in the shape of nooses at American University, targeting a predominately black sorority on campus.

D.C. Police Commander David Taylor told people at the meeting on Saturday that there’s no evidence at this point linking the noose found in Hillcrest to the others found on the National Mall, according to The Post.

“One incident is unacceptable and the fact that this is the fourth occurrence of these racist symbols is outrageous,” said D.C. Council Chairman Mendelson in a statement. “I can’t help but wonder whether this is an unfortunate reaction to some of the hateful rhetoric being spewed by our federal leaders.”

“These incidents are terrorist acts and they will not be tolerated in the District,” Mendelson added.

Authorities are also looking into a rope that was found at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Friday, according to Post. And fake flyers claiming to be from Immigration and Customs Enforcement appeared on Thursday morning in different neighborhoods across the city, warning people that it’s a crime to harbor illegal immigrants.

Mayor Bowser said in the release that D.C. Police are investigating all of the recent incidents, and she’s told the Office of Human Rights to activate the city’s hate crimes protocol and the Office of Religious Affairs to gather faith leaders as a resource for residents.

The mayor also asks the public to call MPD at (202) 727-9099 or text 50411 to report information on any of these incidents.

Filed Under: hate bias, hate crime, hillcrest, noose,