Noose found months after racist graffiti shut down Facebook construction site in Utah

A noose was found at a construction site for a Facebook data center months after racist graffiti briefly shut it down, Utah police told news outlets.

Someone reported discovering a noose Friday, March 18, at the construction site in Eagle Mountain, KSL reported. Eagle Mountain is about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.

At least 1,500 employees stopped work on Monday, March 21, after the noose was found, KUTV reported.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, according to KSL.

Mortenson Construction is offering a $100,000 reward for information about who’s responsible, according to ABC 4.

“Mortenson’s priority is the safety and welfare of our team members and everyone on our projects,” the company told ABC 4. “We strongly condemn and have zero tolerance for hate, racism, or bigotry in any form, and we have a clear anti-harassment, anti-discrimination policy.“

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, told KUTV it’s working with the general contractors to prevent any additional “racist acts” at the site.

“At the Eagle Mountain site, we are working closely with Mortenson and trade leaders to identify the perpetrator(s) of these acts,” Meta told the station.

The noose was found just months after racist graffiti shut down the same construction site. In November, a racial threat and slur was found written inside a portable bathroom, McClatchy News reported.

A $50,000 reward was offered in that incident, but it remains unsolved, KSL reported.

“The slur … identified a specific group, named a suggested action, and identified a date,” public information officer Spencer Cannon told McClatchy News at the time. “So that is at least part of why there is reason for greater concern.”

Cannon said there had been other instances of alarming graffiti at the job site, including a swastika drawn on the ground.

This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 8:57 AM with the headline "Noose found months after racist graffiti shut down Facebook construction site in Utah."