On Wednesday, a section of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC was closed and visitors removed after a noose was found on the floor of one of the rooms.
Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Smithsonian spokesperson Linda St. Thomas said the rope, the second found on the grounds this week, was found by a tourist inside one of the museum’s three history galleries, the Era of Segregation 1786-1968.
“It was rather a small rope thing and not something that would set off the magnetometers,” she said.
“Park Police removed it and we reopened the gallery about an hour later.”
Following the event, museum employees were sent the following notification:
“The Smithsonian family stands together in condemning this act of hatred and intolerance, especially repugnant in a museum that affirms and celebrates the American values of inclusion and diversity. We will not be intimidated,”
US Park Police are now investigating both incidents.