Police in suburban Evanston say that they have completed an investigation into three nooses that were found on the grounds of a middle school, alleging that a student at the school was responsible for the display.
According to authorities, police were called to Haven Middle School on May 13 after reports of a disturbance. While at the scene, police spoke to a witness who led them to three ropes that had been fashioned into nooses and hung from a tree in the school’s recess area.
Police in Evanston, with cooperation from the Evanston/Skokie School District, conducted an exhaustive investigation, using surveillance footage, cellphone videos and eyewitness testimony.
Ultimately, police say that the nooses were put up by a student at the middle school.
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That student will face misdemeanor disorderly charges in juvenile court, but will not be charged with a hate crime, according to authorities.
Police said that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and determined that “the actions and motive of the involved juvenile did not meet the legal, statutory elements of a hate crime” in the case.
