A noose that was found outside an African-American professor's office at Columbia University Teacher's College has sparked campus demonstrations as police search for the perpetrators of what's been labeled a hate crime. The Columbia Spectator reports today that the incident prompted students and faculty—including Madonna Constantine, the targeted professor—to hold a rally yesterday on the steps of the Teacher's College. Constantine, whose published work touches on the pervasiveness of racism, called the incident "heinous and highly upsetting," one that "reeks of cowardice," according to the Spectator. And New York State Senator Bill Perkins said the hanging noose "sounded like an inside job," writes the Spectator. Detectives are interviewing professors at the college but so far haven't named any suspects.
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