No charges in lynching display on Winthrop campus; police still investigating

No criminal charges have been filed in connection with a controversial display set up in front of Winthrop University’s Tillman Hall over the weekend.

The display was found late Sunday afternoon in front of Tillman Hall. It included 18 black nylon stockings filled with dirt and mulch that were suspended by ropes from a tree in front of the building. A white sign taped over the Tillman Hall sign read “Tillman’s Legacy.”

Tillman Hall is named after Benjamin Ryan Tillman, who served as South Carolina governor and as a U.S. senator from 1890 to 1918.

A group of artists known as the Association of Artists for Change claimed responsibility for the display, which they said was a work of art designed to bring attention to Tillman’s racist history and “disrupt the aesthetic veil the building has.”

The Winthrop University Police Department said Tuesday that no charges had been filed and the case remains under investigation.

“I want to repeat that this act was deeply hurtful and threatening to our faculty, staff, students and their families, and that those responsible will be held accountable,” Winthrop President Dan Mahony said in an email to students Tuesday.

University officials have said that the Association of Artists for Change is not a recognized group on campus.

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "No charges in lynching display on Winthrop campus; police still investigating."