BILLINGS - After a noose was discovered in Billings this weekend by a member of the Lyle Lovett tour band, city leaders are taking a stand to condemn hate speech.
The item was found and reported to police by a member of the company managing the tour band, which has four black members.
The person who reported it, who was not identified, says it sends a threatening message.
Billings police are investigating the noose, which surfaced over the weekend on a light pole on the 2600 block of First Avenue North near the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
This picture went viral on social media after a member of the band reported it to police, believing it to be threatening the black members of the band.
On Monday, during a Billings City Council meeting, Mayor Bill Cole said the community condemns any hateful speech or symbols of hate in the community.
It's exactly what Cherilyn Devrees with the Montana Human Rights Network says the city should do.
"The best thing to do is for community leaders and for community members to pull together and say this doesn’t belong in our town," she said.
Billings police asked for surveillance video from the hotel, but the hotel's surveillance was down for maintenance, according to a police report.
