Windsor police are investigating after a noose and five additional ropes that police said could be interpreted as nooses were found at an Amazon construction site.
Police responded three times this week to the site at 1201 Kennedy Road in Windsor for similar concerns.
A construction company supervisor discovered a hangman's noose hanging from a steel beam on the second floor of the building on Tuesday, police said. The supervisor told police he documented the incident and then removed and discarded the noose.
Police said the area is accessible to hundreds of workers from various companies and there were no surveillance cameras.
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A day later, officers went to the site for a second report of a rope that was thrown around a beam, but police said the rope was not a noose in that case.
Detectives went to the site on Wednesday when they were notified there were five additional ropes in various areas of the building that "could be interpreted as nooses," police said. Police confiscated those ropes as evidence and plan to test them for potential suspects.
“The use of the symbol is what’s jarring. Why? Why use that symbol? That symbol evokes so much hate, so much hurt for many people," Windsor Town Councilwoman Nuchette Black-Burke (D) said.
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“It’s not an act of vandalism. It’s not a minor prank. This is serious. To me this is a hate crime, should be investigated as such and we won’t want it to lead to anything worse," Windsor Mayor Donald Trinks (D) told NBC Connecticut.
An Amazon spokesperson shared the following statement on Thursday: “Amazon does not tolerate any behavior deemed hateful, racist, or discriminatory.”
The general contractor is cooperating with police and has offered a $5,000 reward for any information that would help find the responsible people, police said.
A full site safety meeting was held at the site on Wednesday to talk about the initial incident, according to police.
Anyone with any information on the incidents is asked to call the Windsor Police Department at 860-688-5273.
