Noose Found At Stanford Prompts Hate Crime Investigation: Report

PALO ALTO, CA — The Stanford Department of Public Safety launched a hate crime investigation after a noose was found hanging in a tree on campus Sunday evening, according to a message from university leaders to the Stanford community obtained by the Stanford Daily.

The noose was discovered outside Branner Hall and was removed by the Stanford Department of Public Safety. Branner Hall, a university-managed dormitory, is a residence hall for approximately 166 freshmen.

“We cannot state strongly enough that a noose is a reprehensible symbol of anti-Black racism and violence that will not be tolerated on our campus,” wrote Vice Provost for Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole and Vice Provost for Institutional Equity, Access and Community Patrick Dunkley, according to the Stanford Daily. “As a community, we must stand united against such conduct and those who perpetrate it.”

This is the third time in three years that incidents involving a noose occurred on campus.

In 2019, the Stanford Department of Public Safety responded to a report of what was described as a noose near a residence for summer students. Security deputies found a white rope measuring three-feet in length and one-quarter- to one-third of an inch in diameter, with a loop at one end, suspended from a tall bush.

Related: Noose Found On Stanford University Campus Bush Prompts Alarm

Stanford officials were working Sunday evening to “support directly impacted students, faculty and staff,” and shared the message with the community “so that everyone is informed and we can move forward as one committed to ending anti-Black racism," according to the Stanford Daily.