The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has indicted three individuals for allegedly staging a hate crime hoax intended to influence the outcome of the 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral election.
Derrick Bernard Jr., 35, Ashely Blackcloud, 40, and Deanna West, 38, attempted to create a racially charged incident involving a burning cross and a campaign sign defaced with a racial slur, according to a press release from the attorney’s office.
The incident occurred on April 23, 2023, when a wooden cross was set on fire in front of a defaced campaign sign for Yemi Mobolade, a Black mayoral candidate who was running against Wayne Williams, a White man.
The press release outlines how Bernard allegedly coordinated the incident with Blackcloud and West, issuing instructions through messages.
According to the indictment, the three defendants were charged for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to spread disinformation about the threat. The 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral run-off election involved Candidate 1, who was Black, and Candidate 2, who was white. After the initial election but before the run-off, Bernard sent a message to the other defendants in which he explained he was “mobilizing my squad in defense. Black ops style big brother.” He also sent messages referencing a desire to prevent “the klan” from gaining political control of the city. Bernard then worked with Blackcloud and West to stage, at an intersection in the City of Colorado Springs in the early hours of April 23, 2023, a cross burning in front of a campaign sign for Candidate 1 defaced with a racial slur. The three then allegedly spread false information about the event through an email from an anonymous source to various news and civic organizations.
All three guilty of a hate crime
BLM
Depends.