A City Known as 'Hangtown' Votes to Remove the Noose From Its Logo and...Stop Laughing, Guys, This Is Serious!
Aye yo, I heard the Ku Klux Klan refused to drop their debut spoken word mixtape because a city in California had already trademarked its chosen album title.
Nah, I’m joking, but, for real, I heard a city in California stole the design Tucker Carlson has tattooed on his left buttock for its official logo.
Guys, guys, I’m joking...Tucker Carlson doesn’t have a left or right buttock; he sits on his own face for comfortable padding.
Anyway, where was I?
Oh yeah: The city of Placerville, Calif., aka Hangtown, has officially decided to make changes to its logo, which features a miner and a noose hanging from a tree in the background, which, according to CNN, “alludes to California’s Gold Rush and the rise in crime that came with it.” (So it’s definitely not a design advertising a 2021 Roots remake.)
The city is historically known as “Hangtown” because it’s a really chill place to spend one’s leisure time with good friends and family.
Nah, I’m joking, it’s definitely because they used to hang people.
From CNN:
“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,” says the city’s website.
After an impromptu citizens’ jury agreed to hang a man accused of a crime, the town became known as Hangtown. It took on the name Placerville in 1854.
After you’re done giggling at “lost their poke of gold at knifepoint,” I’ll continue reporting.
No, it’s fine, take your time.
So anyway, the Placerville City Council voted unanimously to change the logo after officials spent some three hours listening to input from community members via Zoom meeting, some of whom pointed out the obvious: This shit is racist as fuck.
“A noose is a symbol of death,” one Noose-topia...I mean, Hangtown resident said, CNN reports. “A noose is a symbol of lynching. A noose is a symbol of racism. I think we’re better than that.”
Of course, a city that has a nickname that is also the name of David Duke’s favorite porn site (probably) and a logo that doubles as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s laptop screensaver, is going to have residents who wish to preserve their beloved symbols.
“This world right now is taking inch by inch little pieces of our history and throwing it away,” another resident said. “If we remove this, and the next thing you’re going to do is remove ‘Hangtown’ name itself, in 10-15 years, our kids aren’t going to know anything about it.”
A few things:
First, I will never understand why white people—and yes, this man is definitely whiter than the whitest white in Noose-a-negro-ville...I mean, Hangtown—think that removing racist imagery removes history. History books still exist. It’s as if they’re literally telling us that they don’t read books without pictures.
Secondly—and you’re going to have to excuse me if I raise my voice a bit here—YES THE FUCK YOU SHOULD CHANGE THE NAME “HANGTOWN!!”
Bro, your city’s nickname sounds like the straight-to-the-point version of the term “sundown town.” Of course the more sensible residents in Negro-be-gonetown...I mean, Hangtown are looking to change things.
Imagine being a Black person traveling through Cali and you come across a sign that reads “Welcome to Hangtown” above a white man with a noose hanging behind him like a damn Christmas tree ornament.
Nigga, I’ve seen enough Jordan Peele movies to know this is where I’m taking an immediate U-turn.
“Tonight shows you what a diverse and unique town we live in,” Hangtown Mayor Dennis Thomas—whose name I fully expected to be “Mayor Hoss String-a-niggra”—said after the vote.
'I’m just glad they’re at least losing the noose. This shit is funny...and weird and racist...but still...just, wow.
