A noose on display in Stone County is being condemned by Missouri Democrats after photos surfaced of it standing close to voting booths.
Clem Smith, the chair of the Missouri Democratic Party, said the noose’s display next to voting booths was an intimidation of black voters and that the symbol’s purpose was to strike fear into their hearts.
“For a noose to be displayed next to voting booths is clear intimidation targeting Black voters. This symbol’s purpose is to stoke the fires of racial prejudice and strike fear in the hearts of people of color. It is a painful reminder of the murders and lynchings of Black Americans. To see one next to a voting booth is offensive, inappropriate, and outrageous. It should be obvious to anybody that a noose does not belong at anybody’s election booth. It must be taken down immediately.”
-Clem Smith
A photo of the room shows voter booths arranged in a line adjacent to a glass display with a noose hanging inside. Along with the noose there are several old photos and documents.
Stone County Clerk Cindy Elmore says the display is a historical display on the last legal hanging in Missouri. The noose is not associated with the elections office and is in the hallway. The noose is a facsimile.
The display has been covered up as of Friday morning.
The last legal hanging in Missouri was in 1937, in Stone County, when Roscoe Jackson was executed in the murder of Paul Bozarth.
Candidate for secretary of state Yinka Faleti made the following remarks on Twitter.
Today, we learned that the Stone County Election Office was displaying a noose next to its voting booths. My statement below: pic.twitter.com/gnDCh7Dl0F
— Yinka Faleti (@yinka_faleti) October 30, 2020
