Oak Bluffs police are investigating after a noose was recovered hanging in the front yard of a residence at the end of June, which is raising alarms for the homeowner.
According to the Oak Bluffs police report filed June 27, “there was a frayed rope, about 1/2 in in diameter, which appeared to be old and used. There was a loop.”
Outside the 11 bedroom housing unit on Beth Way earlier this month, the homeowner, Dana Mylott said he recovered the noose hanging from a tree; according to reports, it appeared that someone used a nearby mulch pile to lift themselves high enough to reach a branch to hang the noose in the front yard of Mylot’s building, in a visible location.
Police have not identified an individual nor motives behind the incident.
Mylott, speaking to the Times, said he is concerned because the family who is currently living at the home is Black and that this incident could have been racially motivated. But he also believes this could be a community learning opportunity.
“For me, [it’s a] teachable moment, even if kids are just messing around and not knowing what they are doing,” said Mylott. “When you put up this symbol especially at a home with a Black family living here, that’s extremely hateful; it makes them look over their shoulder in a way they shouldn’t be.”
“When people do stupid stuff like this, maybe they were drinking, maybe they thought it’d be funny or they could get a reaction,” added Mylott. “What if you were on private property and someone decided you were a threat to their family and something worse happened, that’s the teachable moment.”
Mylott said he didn’t want to jump to conclusions or cause a negative commotion in the community, however, the location of the noose on the property and the height of the branch it was hung from make the incident seem deliberate.
“I know everything is bonkers in our society but I also know our community is so strong and we have a lot of support here, so I’m hoping that’s a teachable moment for them,” said Mylott. “I hope someone sees this story and knows someone who did it and says, ‘Hey man, you shouldn’t be doing stuff like that and this is why.’”
As for who it could be, Mylott said a lot of people travel past his road on the main road and from the State Forest.
“My land goes right into the state forest so there’s a lot of people biking, hiking, walking their dogs, there’s a lot of action on the bike path and going up and down that road into the State Forest,” he said.
I find it interesting no one has left a comment.
While I appreciate Mr. Mylott’s rather benign assessment of this situation, I can definitely appreciate the apprehension the African American family renting his home must feel. I hope our police department and those in the other towns, will continue to seek information.
I don’t disagree this is a teachable moment, but for whom? If no one is identified as the perpetrator or if it is not determined this was a racist act, who will learn the lesson? Even the hint of such a heinous act cannot be ignored.
The Island honored the Juneteenth, Federal holiday a few short weeks ago and this past weekend the Frederick Douglas’ speech “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?” at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs and the Federated Church in Edgartown, where Douglas spoke on November 29, 1857. Both were educational events that resonated with and included sentiments of resilience needed for 2025!
As the Summer ramps up, we will have many more African Americans guests visiting. Some will be returning to homes that are part of their Vineyard heritage and the rich Black history built on this island over many decades!
We are and can be better than this.
As a black man who lives on the island year round, I am not in the least bit worried about this story or the origins of this rope in a tree. Hunters hang deer from trees all the time, as they should, and kids are always looking for a place to tie a rope up high to play with a Tarzan swing like from that pile of leaves. If anything concerns me, it’s that pile of leaves that is probably home to a few thousands ticks. The funny thing is that the summer folk that will get all up in arms about this story are probably unaware that the high school is nearly half made up of brown kids of some shade or another. Long gone are the days when the year rounders were just a bunch of ol Yankees with a sprinkling of Indians upisland. This story is a nothing-burger if you ask me. There are more noose hoaxes these past few years than there have been lynchings in the last forty years combined.
Anybody watch NASCAR? https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/29354447/fbi-says-rope-had-talladega-garage-last-fall-bubba-wallace-not-victim-hate-crime
The police report refers to a “loop”, but that didn’t prevent the Times from using the emotionally charged term “noose” five times in their reporting. It doesn’t look like a noose to me – but on Martha’s Vineyard, where the demand for racism far outstrips the supply, every rope is a noose and there’s a racist behind every tree.
I don’t know Mr. Bill Simpson but he is the smartest guy on the island.
A loop rope hung in a tree at a Black families house….
Thank you, Toni! What a sad story.
I appreciate Bill’s assessment of this incident as of little consequence, and no cause for concern. However, I must share Toni’s cautionary attitude. There is so much ugliness and hate in the atmosphere currently, I can’t help but fear that it is creeping onto our island. I just want us to remain receptive and open to both points of view.