'Intentions Do Not Matter, the Harm is Real,' Says Schaaf on Ropes Found Hanging From Oakland Trees

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said ropes found hanging from trees at Lake Merritt have been turned over to the FBI to be investigated as a possible hate crime.

Some in the public who saw the ropes said they looked like nooses, long a racist symbol associated with the lynching of Black people in the United States.

The development comes as federal authorities are investigating the hanging deaths of two Black men in Southern California. Those deaths were ruled suicides, but the cases are being reviewed following objections by family members.

“What a privilege for those of us that don’t feel complete fear and terror when we see a rope in a tree," Schaaf said. “That is a privilege that so many of our African American residents do not enjoy.”

Theo Williams, a member of the Oakland Arts Commission, who attended the mayor's press briefing, called the appearance of the ropes "devastating."

Lake Merritt is supposed to be a safe space for families, he said, adding, "Everyone throughout the community is hurt."

In a statement, the Oakland Police Department said officers found five ropes attached to various trees in the area of Staten and Bellevue avenues after being alerted by social media postings identifying the ropes as nooses.

The department said it’s investigating the incident, recognizing “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.”

The statement also said that several community members reported the ropes were used for exercise, with one person saying he had “intentionally” put the ropes there several months ago for that reason.

Victor Sengbe of Oakland told reporters that the ropes were part of a makeshift swing system meant for exercise and intended as "a genuine gesture of just wanting to create a good time."

"Out of the dozens and hundreds and thousands of people that have walked by, no one has thought that it looked anyway close to a noose," he said.

Schaaf said regardless of Sengbe's statement, the ropes still need to be investigated as a hate crime. “The incidents of the last few weeks, but frankly the last few centuries, is the backdrop upon which we must make these decisions today. Enough is enough. And again, the intentions do not matter, because the harm is real.”

Oakland City Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas, who represents part of the Lake Merritt area, said with the recent killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, and the two Southern California incidents in which Black men were found hanged, “people really want to feel safe in our communities and seeing something that looks like a noose is incredibly disturbing.”

The ropes have since been taken down and police said extra patrols have been assigned to Lake Merritt.