DISTRICT BRIEFING

HATE CRIMES

Bill Would Add Noose Displays To City's List of Offenses

Displaying a noose on private or public property could become a hate crime under legislation proposed yesterday by D.C. Council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large).

The legislation follows a Jan. 22 incident at the construction site of the Washington Nationals' ballpark in which a noose was found on the floor of a break room by four African American electricians. Truland Systems, a Reston-based electrical company, has reported that four white employees were fired after the incident.

Brown, chairman of the council committee on economic development, held a roundtable discussion on the matter last week.

He said yesterday that the episode opened his eyes to a national trend in the increase of hate groups and hate crimes.

The display of a burning cross or swastika is illegal in the District if the exhibit is intended to injure or intimidate someone, cause fear of public safety or deprive equal protection under the law.

"Now, in light of recent events, we must make it clear that zero tolerance extends to the use of a noose," Brown said in a statement.

-- Nikita Stewart

PRIMARIES

Absentee Voting Is Open At Board of Elections Office

District Democrats, Republicans and members of the D.C. Statehood Green Party who will not be able to vote at the polls Tuesday during the presidential primaries can cast their ballots at the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics.

The in-person absentee voting is available through Saturday and again Monday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Absentee voting is open to anyone, but residents must be registered in one of the three political parties. Independents are not allowed to vote in the primaries.

Residents should go to the elections board's voter services office in Room 250-North at 1 Judiciary Square, 441 Fourth St. NW. The building can be reached via Metro's Red Line at the Judiciary Square Station. More information is available by calling the elections office at 202-727-2525 or visiting its Web site at http://www.dcboee.org.

-- Yolanda Woodlee