Placerville City Council votes to put off decision on removing noose in logo to next year
The Placerville City Council on Tuesday night voted to postpone a vote on whether to remove a noose from its municipal logo in response to criticism that argues the imagery “suggests that racial hate crimes are acceptable.”
The City Council had considered redesigning the logo, removing the noose that’s attached to a tree, on municipal stationary, business cards and other documents, signs and assets, including some vehicles with decals. Redesigning the logo would’ve cost the city an estimated $5,357.
In a 4-1 vote, the City Council decided to table to the issue until January when the city can decide when to schedule further discussion over the issue. Tuesday’s meeting, broadcast online via Zoom, lasted past midnight, with more than an hour spent on public comment on the issue.
Mayor Michael Saragosa delaying the decision “until we can talk to each other about the history” surrounding the issue might give the city a chance to host town hall meetings on the subject.
Councilwoman Kara Taylor, who was the only one to vote against postponing the vote, said removing the noose from the logo is “small change,” and delaying the vote will simply for the residents and the city to repeat the process. She said the decision before the City Council had nothing to do with changing the town’s moniker or forcing businesses to do the same.
At a June 23 meeting, council members heard comments about the Northern California town’s nick name, Old Hangtown, and other symbols related to the town’s history. Some have urged the City Council to keep the moniker, which they say “is only offensive to those who read malicious intent into something that is purely historical.”
The “Remove ‘Old Hangtown’” petition was posted to Change.org in early June, and nearly 5,400 had signed it as of Tuesday evening. The “Keep ‘Old Hangtown’” campaign started a few days after the first petition had nearly 14,600 signatures on Tuesday evening. The debate over the moniker includes a “Welcome to Placerville” sign that includes the nickname “Old Hangtown.”
Camille Lloyd, who started the online effort to remove “Old Hangtown” wrote in the petition that “Placerville needs to be progressive in making our community safe and comfortable for (people of color).” Lloyd wrote these local changes were needed especially in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May and the protests against racial injustice in the several weeks that followed.
Sean Yeske started the counter-petition to keep “Old Hangtown” wrote that “a large amount of the draw of our town is the history and the preservation of it.” Yeske wrote that the town’s nickname does not come from racially-charged hangings.
Vice Mayor Dennis Thomas also had suggested postponing the vote, saying debate heard in more than an hour of public comment Tuesday was “just the tip of the iceberg.” He said this issue deserved “a robust debate and an actual real discussion” to decide whether to remove something that’s been a part of the town’s history for more than 170 years.
Councilman Mark Acuna said he recognizes that the sight of a noose always has negative connotations and instills fear in some, and that should not be taken lightly. But he agreed to delay the vote until the community has a chance to discuss the issue further. But he and others on the City Council said that they believe a decision to remove the “Old Hangtown” should be left to the voters in a city election.
Hangman’s Tree, the attraction at 305 Main St. that has a mannequin hanging from a wooden post high on its storefront, was registered as a state historical landmark in 1934 and maintains that status.
“The stump of the tree” upon which the namesake hangings took place “is under the building on which the plaque is placed,” California state Parks’ Office of Historic Preservation’s description of the landmark reads.
The nickname for Placerville, a Gold Rush town that’s now the seat of El Dorado County and home to about 11,000 people, does stem from violence.
“Murders and robberies became frequent in isolated camps along the American River, and before long, several merchants and miners had lost their poke of gold at knife point,” the city history page reads.
“After one such crime early in 1849, an impromptu citizens jury met to consider the fate of the three accused. The jury wasted little time reaching a verdict. Then the question was asked, What shall be done with them? Someone shouted, Hang them! The majority were in agreement. And so it was that the first known hanging in the Mother Lode ... was carried out.”
