COTTLEVILLE, Mo. — "Just hanging," said Mitchell Long.
Long is talking about a noose that he immediately took pictures of with his cellphone.
The furious St. Charles County father said he spotted it Thursday night hanging from a stall inside a men's restroom near the football field behind Francis Howell Central High School.
Long was at his nine-year-old son's football practice at the time. His 15-year-old son attends Howell Central.
"My first expressions were like, 'Wow. We are still doing this? Did this just happen?' The noose had a piece of gray and blue material intertwined in it," said Long.
Long said another dad also saw the noose.
"I don't know who took it down. The parent tried to get rid of it, but I said no. They need to see it," he said.
The frustrated dad flagged down a varsity football coach, walked him to the restroom and showed it to him. The coach said someone would address it.
"Around 10 o'clock at night I got a phone call from the head coach, apologizing for the situation. He said, 'I'm terribly sorry.' Not good enough. Administrators should have immediately gave me a phone call.
"Like I expressed to him, too many of our Black and brown babies have those struggles in our schools," Long said.
In a letter sent to parents, school principal Dr. Suzanne Leake said "while there were no words or notes to accompany the noose, we are partnering with law enforcement to investigate this as a potential hate crime."
She also said "such a symbol has no business in our schools or facilities."
Zebrina Looney, the president of the St. Charles County NAACP branch, said the organization is "deeply disappointed by the ongoing acts of violence and hate speech Black and Brown children in the Francis Howell School District continue to experience."
"I'm hoping what comes out of this investigation is that they bring awareness. It's not fair for anybody to have experience that," said Long.
Late Friday night, the district said in a statement that the person involved had been identified.
"After extensive conversations and investigation, we do not believe this to be a racially-motivated incident. However, we understand the symbolism of a noose and the harm it has caused to our community.
"The Francis Howell School District will not tolerate hate or racially-motivated violence in our schools or on our campuses. We will continue to work in partnership with students, staff and community members to nurture an environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, supported and loved."