St. Louis was one of several cities around the country to report bomb threats yesterday at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). The threats came on the first day of Black History Month. The target in St. Louis was Harris-Stowe State University, which dates to 1857. From a report at KSDK:
The first day of Black History Month began with bomb threats for several Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country, including Harris-Stowe University, where classes were canceled and moved to remote learning.
St. Louis police were called there shortly after 4:30 a.m. for a report of a bomb threat at the campus in mid-town St. Louis. Police swept the campus and gave the “all clear,” according to St. Louis police spokeswoman Evita Caldwell.
“Whether or not it’s connected to a national issue would be part of the ongoing investigation,” Caldwell said.
In an era where Donald Trump supporters conducted a deadly assault at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, it's not unreasonable to think the threats could be part of a national issue:
A police source tells 5 On Your Side a man called the university, threatening to blow it up and kill as many Black students as he could. Police canines helped search the campus, and no explosives were found.
Harris-Stowe University also contacted the FBI, according to a press release from the university.
“We are working with the proper authorities to thoroughly investigate this potential threat,” the release stated. “The safety of our campus community is paramount, and we are taking every step, in conjunction with campus safety, law enforcement and the FBI to ensure the well-being of our community.”
That includes canceling classes. Harris-Stowe University later announced classes would be held remotely for the remainder of Tuesday and campus activities were canceled for the day.
Due to weather, the campus would continue remote instruction until Friday.
NBC News reports other Historically Black Colleges and Universities were targeted Monday, including:
- Howard University in Washington D.C.
- Southern University, A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida
- Albany State University in Georgia
- Bowie State University in Maryland
- Delaware State University
12 comments:
Given the divided mood in the country these days, this is a very disturbing story. I hope the proper authorities are taking it seriously.
It will be interesting to see if any Republicans comment about this, even voice concern about it.
I'm glad you referenced Jan. 6, LS, because I think the insurrection and these threats are related. I point a finger of blame at Trump for both.
Oh, and don't forget Trump followers, such as Ali Alexander, who made a recent reference to the White House being hit by lightning and burning down.
Is somebody trying to start a race war?
I'll add a question to that: Is this tied to the effort to limit the black vote? One way to dilute the black vote is to kill or terrorize young black voters.
Do words have consequences? Let's not forget Ali Alexander's threat to "light the whole sh*t on fire":
https://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2021/01/if-trump-did-not-get-his-way-with.html
LS post of 1/11/21 . . .
Headline: If Trump did not get his way with electoral contest, GOP operative and Stop the Steal organizer Ali (Akbar) Alexander threatened to "light the whole sh*t on fire"
More from our 1/11/21 post, which quoted from a piece by Greg Palast:
As for the Palast story, it unmasks Ali Alexander with surgical precision--and notes his incendiary role in working with the GOP on the Georgia Senate run-off. Palast writes under the headline "Why did the Georgia GOP team up with a Riot Instigator? “WE’LL LIGHT THE WHOLE SH*T ON FIRE!”
The star of the GOP’s get-out-the-vote door-knocking program in the Georgia Senate run-off, standing next to Alex Jones, was blasting his threat through a megaphone in front of the Governor’s home. “We’ll light the whole sh*t on fire!”
Ali Alexander’s threat in December would become all too real when he repeated his performance on January 6 in Washington, DC.
In the US Capitol that day, looking over the scene of screams, teargas, and mayhem, Alexander said, “I warned you this would happen.”
Yes, he did. Nevertheless, the Georgia Republican Party’s Metro Atlanta Field Director Kevin Mason was more than happy to team up with Alexander. With his huge reach within the Alt-Right, Alexander could bring in a swarm of volunteers for the door-knocking campaign they desperately needed to hold back the looming Democratic victory in the US Senate run-offs.
The far-right celebrity was the magnet to draw scores of young enthusiasts to a January 3 training session at the DoubleTree Hotel in Roswell, an Atlanta suburb. The Palast Investigative Fund’s photojournalist, Zach D. Roberts, a specialist in white fringe violence who’d been tracking Alexander’s pitch for mayhem across the nation, signed up.
Roberts, who joined up through Alexander’s website, StopTheSteal.US, was quite surprised to receive instructions, not from the right-wing group, but from Daniel George of the National Republican Senate Committee.
Why would the GOP team up with Alexander, a leader of the Stop the Steal extremists, especially after his well-broadcast warning of violence? The threat was not out of character. There are widely circulated films of Alexander with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes. And there is a video chat with Alexander yucking it up with a right-wing jokester holding up a giant flag with a Nazi Swastika flag.
The number of HBCUs receiving bomb threats is now at 14, per CNN . . .
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/us/hbcu-bomb-threats-tuesday/index.html
Per Axios, The FBI is investigating bomb threats at historically Black colleges and universities as "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes."
https://www.axios.com/fbi-investigating-bomb-threats-hbcus-81f48f9b-d755-43e6-ba34-d597f846b5f6.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&stream=top
The FBI said Wednesday it is investigating the slew of bomb threats at historically Black colleges and universities earlier this week as "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes."
What they're saying: "This investigation is of the highest priority for the bureau and involves more than 20 FBI field offices across the country," the FBI said in an emailed statement.
The agency also said that it is working with local, state and federal law enforcement partners, and coordinating with the targeted institutions to conduct the investigation.
"Although at this time no explosive devices have been found at any of the locations, the FBI takes all threats with the utmost seriousness and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats," the FBI said.
The big picture: Tuesday's threats at over a dozen HBCUs was second day this week and third in the past month that several historically Black colleges and universities had received such threats.
More from Axios:
Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and Labor also sent a letter Wednesday requesting that the Department of Justice hold a briefing to discuss the threats.
"We ask that you provide a briefing to interested congressional offices to discuss the efforts the Department of Justice is taking to coordinate federal and local law enforcement efforts in the investigation of these ongoing threats," the lawmakers wrote.
The also asked for an update on the "direct support" the Justice Department is "providing to all our nation's HBCUs to keep their campuses and communities open and safe," per the letter.
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