Northern California city tables vote to remove noose from logo

After a marathon meeting this week, the Placerville City Council voted to postpone a decision on removing a controversial image of a noose from its municipal logo.

The issue was first brought up during a meeting on June 23. Then, council members heard comments about Placerville’s nickname, Old Hangtown, and other symbols related to the city’s history that “may not be deemed appropriate by some.”

The council had a brief discussion, and there was interest in changing the logo.

They considered redesigning the logo to remove the noose that hangs from a tree branch; the changed logo would then have to be placed on all of the city’s facilities and documents, including signs, business cards and other stationary items. Redesigning the logo would cost an estimated $5,357 for labor and fees, according to City Manager Cleve Morris.

Following a six-plus hour meeting that started Tuesday evening and went into Wednesday morning, council members voted 4 to 1 to revisit the logo issue in January, so they could have more time to discuss the matter in person rather than through an online broadcast. Tuesday’s Zoom meeting included more than an hour of public comment on the issue.

Mayor Michael Saragosa said tabling the discussion would give the council and Placerville residents more time to “actually have a conversation where people can sit down, and we can actually talk to each other about history.” Vice Mayor Dennis Thomas suggested the city do this through a town hall format.

Councilwoman Kara Taylor, who was the only dissenting vote, said that removing the noose was a “small change” and that delaying the vote will just repeat the process. She said the vote had nothing to do with changing the town’s name or removing a gold-rush clad dummy known as “George” that is located on private property.

“For me, it kind of seems silly to argue about having a noose on stationery,” Taylor said. “It just does.”