BALTIMORE (AP) 鈥� Johns Hopkins University is investigating the discovery of a rope tied into a noose at a construction site in a building it owns off its Baltimore campus.
Johns Hopkins officials also notified federal authorities about what the university calls a potential hate crime, the Baltimore Sun reports.
鈥淛ohns Hopkins University condemns this act of hate,鈥� President Ronald J. Daniels said in a message emailed to the university community Friday. 鈥淲e find such racist imagery horrifying and repugnant and a direct threat to the Black community at Johns Hopkins and in Baltimore, standing in stark opposition to the values of equity, justice, and humanity to which we are firmly committed.鈥�
Representatives of general contractor Plano-Coudon told university officials Thursday that a noose had been found at a site in Baltimore where the firm is renovating a laboratory that is part of the university鈥檚 Whiting School of Engineering.
The university鈥檚 Office of Institutional Equity is investigating in coordination with the general contractor, Johns Hopkins spokeswoman Karen Lancaster said. Lancaster said the company 鈥渉as offered its full cooperation and support.鈥�
Daniel Ennis, the university鈥檚 senior vice president for administration and finance, said the school has shut down the construction site.
鈥淲e take this matter extremely seriously,鈥� he said. 鈥淎cts like this have no place in our society.鈥�
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