Though protected as a form of freedom of speech, a noose displayed as a deliberate insult to anyone is distasteful and ridiculous, however, this eccentric man had this noose hanging in his own yard for several years as a curiosity, a silly display, but has been forced to remove it to spare his neighbors the idiotic hubub it has generated among some ignorant people. Political correctness strikes again. The following is from our local newspaper.


Homeowner to take down noose

Punta Gorda man says he never meant to offend anyone


Michael Whiteaker admits he can be stubborn, and at times, downright nasty.

But the 60-year-old Punta Gorda man said he never meant to offend anyone with the noose display in his driveway.

Whiteaker will take down the coiled rope today, despite previous refusals to budge. No one pressured him into the change of heart, although Scott Street is now a destination for rubbernecking.

All it took was a few words from an old friend.

John Lloyd met with Whiteaker Wednesday to see if he would remove the display. The two have known one another for about 50 years.

Lloyd said his boss, Punta Gorda City Manager Howard Kunik, asked him to speak with Whiteaker about the noose because of the buzz it created. Lloyd works as a utility locator for Punta Gorda.

"I told him you don't want to cause a war," said Lloyd, who is black. "He means no harm by it, but we don't want to cause any confusion."

The faded loop has dangled from a wooden post in Whiteaker's driveway for about three years.

Whiteaker said the noose isn't intended as a racist symbol. He planned on taking it down last week, but decided to defy a Punta Gorda Police officer, Sgt. Craig Brandon, who photographed the noose about six months ago because he was offended by the display.

"It's between me and that cop, and it got out of hand; I admit that," Whiteaker said.

Lloyd expressed concern that blacks and others who didn't know Whiteaker would assume he is racist when they saw the noose.

Whiteaker thought about the advice for a while, according to Lloyd, and agreed it needed to go.

In reality, Whiteaker doesn't have to remove the noose.

Charlotte County doesn't have a zoning ordinance prohibiting such displays, and he is protected by the First Amendment.

"When it offended a friend of mine, I'm going to take it down," Whiteaker said.

The decision came as welcome news to Kunik, who has received many calls about the noose since last week.

"I'm glad it worked out," he said.



By JASON WITZ

Staff Report