The noose on a front lawn in the Seneca-Babcock neighborhood caught the attention of local lawmakers Friday.
Egbert Bickley said he's making a political statement. He flies the American flag upside down on his roof to show his frustration with the country. He said the noose is another way to show that.
"I'm just trying to show my support of how I feel we're not the greatest country in the world anymore," he said.
Several local lawmakers spoke out against the gallows and noose, calling them "blatant racist symbols" and "hate speech".
NYS Senator Tim Kennedy and Erie County Legislators Barbara Miller-Williams and Patrick Burke, all Democrats from Buffalo, called for Bickley to take down the noose Friday.
"We've heard from a number of city residents that are appalled by this individual's use of this bigoted, racially motivated imagery," Senator Kennedy said. "Good neighbors don’t erect a gallows and noose on their front lawn, and good neighbors don’t promote symbols of racism, violence, and bigotry."
Council Member David Franczyk was disappointed when he learned this home was in his district.
"That's a polarizing symbol of hate and lynching," he said. "That's not what Buffalo is about."
Bickley said he wasn't using the noose to make a statement on race and hopes people will see it as a symbol of his political frustration.
"I'm stressed about what's happening to the economy in America and where America is going," he said. "If people can't see my view and respect my view--that's what this is all about. That's the problem of America. It has nothing to do with racism and what you're opinion is."
 |
Live video, the latest news and no surveys - download the WKBW app |
 |
News, forecast and Bills newsletters delivered to your e-mail inbox |
