Wave of Nooses: A Resurgence of Hate?

Oct. 21, 2007 — -- An orange hangman's noose reported nailed to a tree Friday in Ogle County, Ill., is the latest of several nationally reported cases of hanging nooses -- which many consider to be a symbol of racist tension from America's past.

"I was disgusted, you know, with everything going on nationally," said Ogle County resident Tom Ashelford.

Some believe the nooses are a response to debate ignited by the case of the Jena Six in Louisiana, in which six black male high school students were charged in the beating of a white student after a noose was found hanging from a tree near the school. Allegedly, prior to the noose's appearance, black students had sat under what was known locally as a whites-only tree.

National law enforcement officials have not taken the incidents lightly. In fact, the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI currently are investigating approximately 20 incidents of hanging nooses that have taken place since the Jena Six case gained attention in August.

"Such incidents are shameful," said acting attorney general Peter Keisler in a statement to ABC News. "The message of fear and terror that nooses communicate is deplorable. Many of these cowardly actions may also violate federal and state civil rights and hate crime laws."

But do the nooses reflect a resurgence of racism in America?

The noose has an infamous reputation in American as a hate symbol dating back more than a century. It was used in the past for violent lynchings against black Americans, so the revival has some concerned.

"It's not different from the domestic terrorism we experienced during the civil rights movement," NAACP CEO Dennis Cortland Hayes said, "and even in the early 1900's, when the NAACP was founded to respond to lynchings that were occurring."

But hip-hop star RZA told "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" that the latest generations are more open-minded and steering away from divisive racial clichés.

"We're erasing all those old-school stereotypes," he said. "People are really respecting each others' cultures."