Piedmont Park, a popular recreation area in Atlanta, Ga., is under heavy police investigation after the body of a man was found hanging from a tree. Although early police reports suggest the death was a possible suicide, the hashtag #PiedmontParkHanging has prompted skeptical responses and speculation that the Ku Klux Klan was recently in the area. As reported by local outlet 11Alive, the body of the man was found hanging by way of a rope in Piedmont Park early Thursday morning before sunrise. Security officers discovered the body, and immediately alerted the authorities. A spokeswoman with Atlanta PD says there was no evidence of foul play or struggle, although an official autopsy has yet to be released. The body of the man is described as a Black male between the ages of 23 to 35 years of age. The Atlanta’s PD investigation is still underway, and Mayor Kasim Reed issued a statement from his office that was an attempt to quell the rumors of foul play or a lynching as some on social media have framed the discovery. AJC.com adds that the FBI is now part of the investigation team. On Twitter, the trending topic is still rife with discussion over possible motives for a possible lynching, including some users saying KKK members were just in the park a day earlier. Despite the fervor around the horrific events, authorities are cautioning patience and calm. Tensions are naturally high surrounding the death of Black men in the wake of the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in the past three days. The hanged body seemingly pushed many over the edge who were already combating fragile emotions. We’ve selected a few tweets from the #PiedmontParkHanging hashtag below and on the following pages. https://twitter.com/Skully13Darling/status/751206174712664065 https://twitter.com/OrealeXO/status/751206153611120640 https://twitter.com/SpreeWilson/status/751205841441787904 https://twitter.com/autumnpapakee_/status/751205128552738816 — Photo: Fraser Mummery (www.flickr.com/photos/73014677@N05/6591645993), Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic | Flickr
