Tagg Magazine was the victim of a hate crime on Thursday, April 25, 2019 when a person assembled several copies of the March/April 2019 issue of Tagg Magazine featuring Enterprising Women of 2019 with rope, tied a noose around the head of the magazine, and then hung it from a utility pole located at the intersection of 18th Street NW and Columbia Road NW in Washington, District of Columbia.
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Sergeant Nicole Brown is in charge of the investigation. The Metropolitan Police Department is encouraged by the fact that there are several security cameras that canvas the intersection. Tagg Magazine is cooperating with the Metropolitan Police Department.
“A noose symbolizes years of hate and the death of thousands of Black people in this country. As a Black lesbian, this incident is more than disturbing,” says Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Tagg Magazine Eboné F. Bell. “I believe there is a reason Tagg was a target, and I believe there is a reason the Enterprising Women issue with people of color on the cover was a target.”
Tagg Magazine condemns hate. Tagg Magazine encourages all residents of the District of Columbia to familiarize themselves with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Resource Guide.”
Tagg Magazine is grateful to the LGBTQ community for the messages of support. The resounding message of “We got your back” speaks to the strength of our community, and the support people have for the publication.
If you saw something say something to Sergeant Nicole Brown. Sergeant Brown can be contacted directly by dialing 301-455-6268 and via e-mail at Nicole.brown@dc.gov.
