Amazon has paused construction on a new Connecticut warehouse after a noose was found hanging from a beam. This was the seventh noose found and part of a series of “potential” hate crime incidents that have taken place at the construction site over the course of a month.
This is not the first time Connecticut has been in the news for some racist foolishness. Recently, NewsOnyx reported on the arrest of a Connecticut teen over the online harassment of a Black classmate, including calling him the n-word.
The most recent noose was discovered May 19 at the Windsor location and prompted the state’s NAACP to call for a heightened investigation by law enforcement and a suspect to be brought to justice.
Amazon released a statement that the construction of the warehouse would cease so additional security measures can be put in place. Amazon said they are “deeply disturbed” by the incidents, and “Hate, racism or discrimination have no place in our society and are certainly not tolerated in an Amazon workplace.”
Carlos Best, an ironworker and foreman at the construction site, said he had heard racist remarks there, including some made by a worker that he fired.
“Personally, on this job here, I have seen a lot of racism,” he said at the news conference. “This is not the only construction site that these things occur on, and it has to stop.”
We’re here to make sure that people are safe,” said Scot X. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut NAACP, in a press conference. “We’re making sure that the voices are heard and that this situation is dealt with in a professional and adequate way.”
Windsor police said they are working with the FBI and the Connecticut state police. A reward has been doubled to $100,000 for information leading to the identification of the culprits.
