In the past two years Rockingham County has experienced signs of racial intolerance. The racism became more noticeable in 2008.
First incident to my recollection occurred in 2007, but was not reported by the local media until late 2008. A middle aged black man was working at a local resort. He and a couple of his co-workers had some
disagreements. In retaliation his co-workers hung a noose in the garage door at this place of business. This happened on three separate occasions. To this man’s dismay there was no noose law in the Commonwealth of Virginia at that time. However, the city prosecutor along with other political figures worked to rectify that problem. This is good, but it made the racists more creative.
In September 2008 the EEOC filed a lawsuit against an Ohio construction company because they allowed black employees to be subjected to a racially hostile environment in the Elkton area.
Another incident in September 2008 involved a Barack Obama campaign sign that was placed in a field on Route 259 Fulks Run. Someone defaced the sign with “KKK” written in paint. A woman reported the sign to the local Obama campaign office in Harrisonburg and the media. This woman was shocked about what happened. She is a local photographer and stated that she has recently encountered intolerant behavior regarding race. For her safety, I left her name out of this article.