NAACP, town putting further pressure on Amazon after 8th noose found at Connecticut worksite
WINDSOR, Conn. (WTNH) — An eighth noose has been found at an Amazon worksite in Windsor, Connecticut. The site will once again shut down for an unconfirmed amount of time.
The Windsor Police said the noose was found by a worker mixed in with and entangled with electrical cords used for lighting at the job site.
They say the worker reported that these cords had not been used for more than two weeks and were being stored on a pallet amongst other electrical equipment on the floor. When the worker went to detangle the cords he discovered the short piece of rope which had a noose tied to the end.
“He immediately reported it and officers on site responded. Due to the serious nature of this and previous incidents at this site, all construction activities were ceased, workers were removed from the building, and were briefed on today’s incident,” Windsor Police reported. “The FBI and the Connecticut State Police both responded to assist with today’s discovery and to conduct a complete canvass of the facility.”
They say, so far, more than 100 employees of the construction site have been interviewed by law enforcement as part of the investigation.
Windsor Town Manager Peter Souza stated, “These acts of hate and intimidation have no place in Windsor. We continue our efforts with the FBI and Connecticut State Police to investigate and find the person or persons responsible.”
The construction site was also shut down this past weekend and reopened Monday as officials investigated the seven other nooses found on site since April.
As of Monday, a $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
In their fifth news conference on the topic Wednesday afternoon, the NAACP said this ongoing discovery of the nooses is “out of control.”
Scot X. Esdaile, state president of the NAACP, says they are worried about individuals of color on the Amazon site and that Amazon is just giving them lip service about solving the problem.
“We have been told by officials and law enforcement that this situation is under control…and that we have nothing to worry about and that these individuals on this construction site have nothing to worry about,” Esdaile says Amazon echoed that sentiment.
However, he added, “The Black community has no trust in this…This is a complete joke. Smoke and mirrors. A bunch of nonsense that has been said to us. There’s no way that this should be happening in CT in 2021.”
Town leaders are calling on Amazon to bring their national representatives to Windsor to address the issue and find the culprit.
They are calling it “Our Presser Campaign.” A town councilman address Amazon saying, “Until our quality of life in small little Windsor comes back to normal, we are holding you accountable.”