Placerville council votes to remove noose from city logo

Molly Sullivan

The Placerville City Council voted unanimously late Tuesday to remove the noose symbol from its city logo.

The "meeting has been a long time coming," said Mayor Dennis Thomas.

The issue was first raised last summer when council members discussed removing the noose.

The City Council decided to delay the decision in the hopes that pandemic restrictions would be relaxed in 2021, and an in-person meeting could be held to gather input from the public, said Cleve Morris, city manager.

When those hopes didn't come to fruition, the council members brought it to debate Tuesday with over 150 people joining the meeting virtually.

The noose on the city's logo is a symbol that is associated with the city's Gold Rush-era name, Old Hangtown. At that time, violent crimes against miners — such as murders and robberies — became frequent in the small mining camps along the American River, "and before long, several merchants and miners had lost their poke of gold at knife point," according to a city website.

Three men accused of committing such crimes were convicted by a jury and hung in 1849.

"The site was a giant white oak in the corner of hay yard near the center of town," the city website said. "The word spread quickly and (the town) soon became known as Hangtown due to several other hangings."

The city became the incorporated county seat of El Dorado County in 1854, and its name was changed to Placerville.

Today, the Hangman's Tree is a state historical landmark in downtown Placerville across the street from City Hall. And multiple businesses in the area bear the "Hangtown" name.

After a discussion last July, the City Council rejected the proposed redesign of the city logo, which removed the depiction of the noose, and instead opted to table the discussion to January.

In January, the council decided to form a committee to research the history of the current logo, explore new options, and form a focus group. The committee found a few examples of city logos used in the 1970s and 90s that did not include the noose, including the Placerville Police Department. The department's patch has changed multiple times in recent years, but none of the renditions have used the image of the noose, according to the city staff report.

The city seal, used by the City Clerk to stamp official documents, also does not contain the image of the noose.

In Tuesday's meeting, at least 100 people spoke to the council during public comment, which lasted three hours. Many residents were in favor of removing the noose, saying the image made the city appear "unwelcoming." Others called for the City Council to put the issue to a vote.