Noose Nets Man Year in Prison

(Ruston, Louisiana) A 37-year-old local man, Robert Jackson, pleaded guilty to violating the Fair Housing Act by suspending a hangman's noose on a bird-feeder at a neighbor's home.

As a result, Jackson was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison.

Jackson later admitted placing the noose there in order "to send a message" to African-American males who visited the home.

"A noose is an unmistakable symbol of hate in our country, and using this symbol to intimidate a family will not be tolerated," said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general of the civil rights division.

After his release from prison, Jackson must complete anger management and cultural diversity programs during one year of supervised probation.