Suspected Noose At Lynching Historical Marker Was Part Of Floral Arrangement, Police Say

SEVERNA PARK, Md. (WJZ) — A piece of twine on the “Lynching In Anne Arundel County” historical marker that police were investigating as a noose was in fact part of the plaque when the monument was installed, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said Wednesday.

On Sunday, police announced investigators were looking into the twine as an act of vandalism at the marker, which was relocated to the Severna Park Library this summer.

In an update Wednesday, police said the twine was “in place the day marker was dedicated and was apparently being used to hold a floral arrangement in place.”

A citizen walking by the marker on Sunday had reported the twine to authorities.

“The Anne Arundel County Police Department investigates any reported act which appears to be motivated, or perceived by the reporting person to be motivated, all or in part, by hatred toward or bias against an individual or group on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, gender, gender identity, or homelessness,” police said on Wednesday.