IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 826 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the hanging of 

nooses is a horrible act when used for the purpose of intimidation 

and which under certain circumstances can be a criminal act that should 

be thoroughly investigated by Federal law enforcement authorities and 

that any criminal violations should be vigorously prosecuted. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2007 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Ms. RICHARDSON, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. 

BURTON of Indiana, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. POE, 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, 

Mr. COHEN, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. WATERS, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. SPRATT, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. WATSON, Mrs. 

NAPOLITANO, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. EDWARDS, 

Mr. NADLER, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. CLAY, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. 

YARMUTH, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. 

PASTOR, Mr. BACA, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. WATT, 

Ms. CLARKE, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. 

CROWLEY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. 

MCCRERY, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. CUELLAR, 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HONDA, Mr. SIRES, Ms. CORRINE

BROWN of Florida, Mr. ORTIZ, and Mr. SHAYS) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the hanging of nooses is a horrible act when used for 

the purpose of intimidation and which under certain 

circumstances can be a criminal act that should be thoroughly investigated by Federal law enforcement authoriVerDate Aug 31 2005 20:35 Nov 16, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR826.IH HR826

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•HRES 826 IH 

ties and that any criminal violations should be vigorously 

prosecuted. 

Whereas in the past two months, nooses have been found in 

a North Carolina high school, a Home Depot in New Jersey, a Louisiana school playground, the campus of the 

University of Maryland, a Columbia University professor’s office door and a factory in Houston, Texas; 

Whereas the Southern Poverty Law Center has recorded between 40 and 50 suspected hate crimes involving nooses 

since September; 

Whereas since 2001, the Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission has filed more than 30 lawsuits that involve 

the displaying of nooses in places of employment; 

Whereas nooses are reviled by many Americans as racist symbols of lynchings that were once all too common; 

Whereas according to Tuskegee Institute, more than 4,700 

people were lynched between 1882 and 1959 in a campaign of terror led by the Ku Klux Klan; 

Whereas the number of dead lynching victims in the United 

States exceeds the amount of people killed in the horrible 

attack on Pearl Harbor (2,333 dead) and Hurricane 

Katrina (1,836 dead) combined; and 

Whereas African-Americans, as well as Italians, Jews, and 

Mexicans, have comprised the vast majority of lynching 

victims and only when we erase the terrible symbols of 

the past can we finally begin to move forward: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 


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•HRES 826 IH 

1 (1) the hanging of nooses is a horrible act when 

2 used for the purpose of intimidation and which 

3 under certain circumstances can be criminal; 

4 (2) this conduct should be investigated thor5 oughly by Federal authorities; and 

6 (3) any criminal violations should be vigorously 

7 prosecuted. 

Æ 


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