BALTIMORE, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- John Hopkins University in Baltimore has suspended a fraternity for staging a mock lynching at a weekend Halloween party.
Students said decorations at the Sigma Chi house for Saturday's party included a skeleton pirate dangling from a rope noose. African-American students said the mock lynching was symptomatic of the lack of racial sensitivity at one of the nation's most prestigious university, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Demonstrators marched with photos from the party Monday holding signs reading "Lynching is not a joke." The invitation to the "Halloween in the Hood" party posted on the Facebook Web site described Baltimore as "the HIV pit" and urged attendees to wear hip-hop clothing, "bling bling" and "hoochie hoops."
Johns Hopkins President William Brody called the fraternity's actions "deeply disturbing" and said he was personally offended by their offensive nature.
The national headquarters of the fraternity suspended the four-year-old chapter pending an investigation.
