After 'Nooses' Found, College President Jumps on 'Hate Crime’ and Urges Campus to 'Stand Together Against Intolerance.’ Then the Truth Comes Out.

A University of Delaware student reported finding three "nooses" hanging from a tree Tuesday evening in front of a building on campus, one day after Black Lives Matter activists staged a protest.

Acting President Nancy M. Targett got on Twitter and announced that campus police were "investigating" the "hate crime." She added, "We need to stand together against intolerance."

.@udelpolice is investigating hate crime. We need to stand together against intolerance. Call 831-2222 if you saw anything. #VoicesOfUDel

— Nancy Targett (@NancyMTargett) September 23, 2015

She went further on the UD Facebook page, saying: “We are both saddened and disturbed that this deplorable act has taken place on our campus. This hateful display stands in stark contrast to Monday night's peaceful protest and discussion. We condemn this despicable action and ask everyone in our community to stand together against intolerance and hate."

University police characterized the discovery initially as "a racist display."

But officials soon learned it wasn't a hate crime or a racist display — the ropes were left over from a previous campus activity involving paper lanterns:

Targett hopped back on Twitter and relayed the news Wednesday morning:

Update: @UDelPolice determine incident was not a hate crime. Please stand with me on the Green @ 4:30PM #VoicesOfUDel https://t.co/ob7S5NUnPI

— Nancy Targett (@NancyMTargett) September 23, 2015

But the president isn't done, noting in a letter sent to the university community Wednesday morning that "the sensitivity of our campus to this potential issue clearly indicates a need for continuing dialog within our community. I continue to encourage everyone to join me at the gathering scheduled at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon on The Green."

Commenters responding to Targett's updated Twitter post had the following to say:

Image source: Twitter

Image source: Twitter

Image source: Twitter

The discovery of the "nooses" came a day after Black Lives Matter demonstrators protested a speech by conservative author Katie Pavlich, NBC News reported.

—

Follow Dave Urbanski (@DaveVUrbanski) on Twitter