Evanston student hung nooses outside Haven Middle School, police say

Evanston community calls for accountability after nooses found outside school

A week after nooses were found outside an Evanston middle school, community members want to know what's being done to find out who is responsible for hanging them.

EVANSTON, Ill. - An Evanston middle school student was found to be responsible for hanging nooses outside Haven Middle School last month.

Evanston police made the announcement Wednesday afternoon.

The student was referred to juvenile court and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, police said.

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The Cook County State's Attorney's Office says the student will not face hate crime charges because the actions and motive "did not meet the legal, statutory elements of a hate crime."

The three nooses were spotted hanging from a tree in the school's recess area on May 13. They were placed there after students at Haven had staged a sit-in to protest staffing changes.

"This is 2022. Black children should not continue to be terrorized and victimized by nooses and racism," said a speaker for the group Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change during a protest outside the school on May 23.

Because the student responsible for hanging the nooses is a juvenile, their identity will not be released, police said.

Police said witness interviews, surveillance footage and cellphone videos led to the identification of the student responsible.

Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.