A group of five county, state and congressional North Country representatives released a joint statement on Tuesday, July 28 condemning an incident under investigation where a noose was left in the yard of a Massena residence.

The statement come from Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators Chairman Joe Lightfoot, New York State Assemblyman Mark Walczyk and New York State senators Patty Ritchie and Senator Joe Griffo. All are Republicans.

“This disgusting display of racism must be thoroughly investigated, and the criminals found responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the five lawmakers said in the joint statement. “This hateful display has no place in the North Country – or anywhere in our nation – and we condemn it in the strongest terms. This is a pivotal moment in our country where we must come together to work against this abhorrent behavior to ensure it never happens again in our communities. We call for a full investigation until the criminals are found and prosecuted, and we stand with the affected family in Massena and grieve with them.”