Apparent Noose Hung On Danvers Church Sign

DANVERS, MA — Danvers town officials are condemning what they call "hateful and discriminatory behavior" after they said an apparent noose was hung on the sign of the Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church Wednesday night.

Danvers police are investigating what they said was a possible hate crime after a volunteer reported a Black Lives Matter sign was missing at the Locust Street church and a "piece of rope fashioned as what appears to be a noose" was hung on the main sign.

"The town of Danvers takes this incident very seriously," the town said in a statement. "We do not yet know who did this or why, but the message a symbol like this is intended to send is one of fear and intimidation."

Danvers police said anyone with information on the incident, or who may have been in the area in the past 24 hours and witnessed "suspicious activity" is asked to contact them at 978-774-1212.

"We reject such acts of cowardice and want to be clear that this type of hateful and discriminatory behavior has no place in Danvers or any community," the town said. "The Danvers Select Board, the Human Rights and Inclusion Committee, and town employees are committed to building on years of progressive work to ensure that Danvers is a welcoming and inclusive community for all, and we believe that acts like this simply serve to reinforce the urgency of the work ahead of us."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)