Employees discover noose at Thor Motor Coach in Elkhart

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ELKHART, Ind.-- Employees at Thor Motor Coach along County Road 15 in Elkhart are upset after finding a noose Monday morning.

Those employees are now speaking out saying nothing is being done to find out who put it there.

"You just wouldn’t think something like that in the work place would happen," said a Thor Motor Coach employee who wants to remain nameless. "I saw that noose hanging there. It’s a threat. It’s a clear threat to everyone of color in the facility."

That employee captured the picture above showing the noose hanging from a beam, hovering over a chair in an area they say every worker has to pass through.

“Everyone has to walk past there. Not just certain people. It’s right at the time clock. It’s disturbing.”

That employee doesn’t want to be identified in fear of losing his job.

So far, no police report has been filed, but that’s what he says is only part of the problem.

“That’s disturbing in itself too. You’re worried about who shared the image, but not the person who did it? C’mon now, that doesn’t seem right to me.”

I spoke to a former employee who says this isn’t the first time something like this has happened before.

“I was called the n word. It was written on my paperwork. It was scribbled on the bathroom wall. They had maintenance paint over it. The guy that did it, it took them a long time to fire him. Basically they only fired him because he shot staples at my head.”

In a statement to ABC 57, Thor Motor Coach said:

We became aware of an incident at Thor Motor Coach this morning, and since becoming aware, we are reviewing security video tape and investigating this incident. At all Thor subsidiaries, we are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding any acts of harassment of any of our employees and strive to maintain a safe working environment for every member of our team.  We have initiated a full investigation to identify the individual or individuals responsible for this act and will implement appropriate disciplinary actions up to and including immediate termination. This type of behavior has no place at Thor Motor Coach or any of our Thor subsidiaries and will not be tolerated.

With no definite answer as to how or why the noose was found hanging there Monday morning, employees still believe there’s no excuse.

“That’s a clear symbol of racism, there’s now way around that. It’s plain as day. If they’re playing a prop or a joke, that’s not a joke.”


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