Bloomington, Minnesota – The FBI opened an investigation after authorities in Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb, revealed Saturday that they had found a piece of rope that resembled a rope in the locker of a black firefighter.
Kevin Smith, an FBI spokesman, told The Associated Press that the investigation is in its early stages.
The rope was tied in what appeared to be a gallows knotted rope and was discovered at the Bloomington fire station on June 15, according to a press release issued Saturday by the city, which asked the FBI to investigate . The finding was reported to fire department officials eight days later on Tuesday.
“Acts like these that embody hatred, intimidation and assault will not be tolerated,” Ulie Seal, head of the Bloomington Fire Department, said in the statement. “The firefighter who reported this to us has shown tremendous strength and courage and has done the right thing.”
Bloomington Mayor Tim Busse said, “Outraged, upset and embarrassed by this cowardly act. To be clear, this incident is very serious and is being handled aggressively.”
Busse said the city plans to bring in a mental health consultant to “address the emotional, social and psychological trauma that results from traumatic racial events.” Racial equality will be the focus of a City Council meeting to be held on July 13, he added.
The city plans to provide an update to the public on Monday.
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