WASHINGTON (AP) - A noose has been found in a public exhibition space of the Smithsonian’s African-American museum.
Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton says in a statement that the rope was found Wednesday afternoon in the Segregation Gallery of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The statement says tourists found the noose on the floor.
Museum founding Director Lonnie Bunch III says in an email that the noose represents an act of cowardice and depravity.
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Park Police are investigating, but a spokeswoman would not provide more details.
This was the second such incident in less than a week at a Smithsonian Institution museum. A noose was found hanging from a tree outside the Hirshhorn Museum on Friday.
