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A noose was found at a Boeing plant in South Carolina

(CNN) Officials at Boeing are investigating reports of a noose being found at the assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The "racially-charged symbol" -- as it was first referred -- was found at the plant Thursday, according to CNN affiliate WCSC. Officials later confirmed to CNN that the "symbol" was a noose.

Brad Zaback, vice president and general manager of Boeing's program where 787 Dreamliner passenger jets are built, released a statement Friday condemning the incident.

"I am saddened and angered that a racially-charged symbol was discovered on site," Zaback's statement read. "Diversity and inclusion are core to Boeing's enduring values, and there is absolutely no place for racism and these cowardly acts in society and especially in our company."

Zaback's statement also said this type of behavior wouldn't be tolerated and the company takes "these matters very seriously."

"We have already launched a thorough investigation, and will take all appropriate and necessary action," his statement read.

The Boeing campus in North Charleston has about 7,000 employees at the site, according to Boeing's website.

Employers elsewhere also discover nooses

Boeing hasn't been the only employer dealing with racist incidents on their campus.

CNN published a scathing report in January about the culture at the General Motors Toledo, Ohio, plant through interviews with two men who worked there, Marcus Boyd and Derrick Brooks. The two men are among nine other black employees who filed a lawsuit against Toledo Powertrain, where components are made for various Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles.

Boyd said the N-word was a regular part of life at the plant. Brooks said he found a noose hanging in the area where he worked. As the only black employee in that space on his shift, he believed it was meant to intimidate him. In total, five nooses were found and reported to GM, according to the lawsuit.

In February, GM said it was offering a $25,000 reward for information about nooses and "whites-only" signs being hung at its plant.

Officials in Oroville, California, filed a lawsuit in January accusing the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) of corruption, sexism and racism. The complaint was lodged two years after storms across the state caused Lake Oroville's levels to rise, leading to the evacuation of about 200,000 people because officials feared the dam could not hold the rushing water.

Oroville lake, the emergency spillway, and the damaged main spillway, are seen from the air on February 13, 2017 in Oroville, California.

Oroville officials said the dam crisis was caused by "decades of mismanagement and intentional lack of maintenance by the California Department of Water Resources."

The complaint alleges that a noose, directed at an African-American employee, was hung in a meeting room used daily by DWR staff. It stayed for three months until the employee took it down himself.

CNN's Rene Marsh, Tina Burnside and Alta Spells contributed to this report.
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