UPDATE (4:24 p.m. PT) - Officials from the city of Portland and three colleges responded Tuesday to a noose found at a construction site downtown.
The noose was found late last month at a construction zone for a facility being built by Portland State University, Portland Community College, Oregon Health & Science University and the city.
Cranes and construction crews have become a regular sight at Portland State University's downtown campus.
Rob Manning / OPB
In a statement to the campus community, PSU officials condemned the act.
"PSU joins these partners in loudly condemning this hateful and racist act and expressions of racism in all forms," the statement said. "We are committed to a firm stance against symbols of hatred anywhere in our community."
The noose was discovered at the site of a multi-purpose building for the four public entities. It's intended to house the School of Public Health — a program jointly administered by PSU and OHSU. It'll also be home to Portland State's College of Education, dental programs for PCC and offices for the city's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.
The statement said the parties were notified of the noose two weeks ago, on June 9. That was 20 days after it was found.
The building owners said Andersen Construction, the contracting company leading the project filed a police report, and launched an independent investigation in response to the incident.
In a statement shared with OPB, Andersen Construction said upon learning who is involved, they will be " prosecuted to the full extent of the law and disallowed from ever working on an Andersen project in the future, regardless of who this person's (or persons) employer is."
"We are committed to creating a safe work environment for all Black people and people of color, free of harassment, bias, and racism," the statement read. "Our efforts will include more robust anti-harassment and anti-racism training, education, and mental health support services made available to all employees."