Gov. Cuomo Rips ‘Evil Icon Of Our Nation’s Racist Past’ When ‘Noose’ Found In Harlem Park. Then The Truth Comes Out.

A park goer took a photo Saturday at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem of what was called a “noose” hanging from a tree near the historic Fire Watch Tower.

A Parks Department employee alerted police to the “noose” after the city’s 311 line was also notified by someone in the park. “We are dismayed by this incident,” a Parks Department spokeswoman told Pix. “We immediately notified NYPD and removed the rope from the tree.”

“A noose found hanging in a Harlem park named after a Black icon has left those in the neighborhood feeling a little shaken up, even if the supposed reason for it being there was not meant to be harmful,” WNBC-TV reported.

“I can’t believe that we would see something like that in this day and age, and I live across the street from this park,” said Derrick Perry. Another resident, Sean Noriega, said that it’s “basically impossible that someone got in this park and did something like that and no one saw anything,” given how many people are in and around it at all times, day and night.

The “scandal” spiraled out of control.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer quickly called the incident “despicable,” long before it was investigated. “It’s disturbing that there are people out there who would do this, but we have seen these past few weeks that there are so many more who are against what this hateful symbol stands for,” she wrote on Twitter. “Our diversity makes us strong.”

finally reaching Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Democrat took time out of his busy schedule botching his response to COVID-19 to weigh in on the “racist act.”

“I am disgusted by the recent discovery of a noose — the epitome of hatred and an evil icon of our nation’s racist past — in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park,” Cuomo’s Tuesday statement read, according to WNBC. “New York is no place for hate, and the progress we’ve made as a society will not be undone by the work of a few cowards.”

But whoops. It wasn’t a noose at all.

“The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force investigated this incident thoroughly. According to the park director, it was left over from a construction scaffold that was removed in the fall. The rope was used to hoist construction materials,” the task force tweeted.

NYPD Hate Crimes

✔@NYPDHateCrimes

The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force investigated this incident thoroughly. According to the park director, it was left over from a construction scaffold that was removed in the fall. The rope was used to hoist construction materials. @NYPDDetectives @NYPDShea https://www.pix11.com/news/local-news/manhattan/noose-found-in-manhattans-marcus-garvey-park …

Noose found in Manhattan's Marcus Garvey Park

Someone hung a noose onto the bell tower in Marcus Garvey Park, police said Monday.

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4:19 AM - Jun 17, 2020

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Even after the whole thing was explained, residents were still skeptical.

“I don’t see how a rope like that could’ve stayed this long through winter storms through wind. And it’s just perfectly there?” one resident told NBC. “If we want to think about what the noose symbolizes, it is literally a direct threat on the lives of Black people in this country for centuries,” the resident said.