Elmhurst Nooses Investigation Continues: Police

ELMHURST, IL — Detectives continue to actively investigate an incident involving two nooses outside York High School, police said last week.

Elmhurst Patch filed a public records request for the full report, but the department said it could not release the document because of the ongoing investigation.

Police have labeled the incident a possible hate crime. It was on a Sunday, so school was not in session.

In the early afternoon of Jan. 17, a group of adults were playing soccer at the football field when they discovered two rope nooses hanging on top of the metal bleachers, police said in a news release at the time.

The adults removed the ropes themselves and took them away with the intent to give them to school administrators later, police said.

According to the release, an examination revealed both ropes had tape affixed to them with the messages, "Let them play!" and "Hear us now! Please!"

Additional security cameras were planned to be installed at the high school, including at the stadium, as a further precaution, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Elmhurst Police Department at 630-530-3050.