Group put burning cross in front of mayoral campaign sign to fake a hate crime, feds say
On an early April morning before dawn, three people put a burning cross in front of a Colorado Springs mayoral candidate’s campaign sign during the city’s 2023 run-off election, according to federal prosecutors.
The sign, which said “Yemi for mayor,” was first vandalized with red spray paint that spelled out a racial slur, court documents show.
An investigation by the FBI revealed Derrick Bernard Jr., Ashley Blackcloud and Deanna West staged the cross in front of the sign, which was positioned in the grass at a major traffic intersection and set ablaze, to make it seem like a hate crime occurred on April 23 2023, according to an indictment filed Nov. 6.
At the time, Yemi Mobolade, Colorado Springs’ current mayor who is Black, was campaigning against mayoral candidate Wayne Williams, who is white.
A video was taken of the burning cross and sign, which was emailed by Blackcloud and West to local news outlets, resulting in news coverage of the incident, prosecutors wrote in the indictment.
Bernard, Blackcloud and West are accused of trying to “maliciously” spread disinformation.
The indictment says that 10 days before the cross was planted in front of the sign, Bernard messaged Mobolade on Facebook, saying:
“I know it’s crunch time sir but look . . . I spoke with some of my friends in other places and theirs (sic) a plot amidst . . . I’m mobilizing my squadron in defense and for the final push. Black ops style big brother. The klan cannot be allowed to run this city again.”
The mayor’s response
According to the indictment, Bernard texted Mobolade the day the trio is accused of planting the burning cross. Bernard texted him again two days later, on April 25, 2023, and spoke with him for about five minutes on the phone the next day, the indictment says.
In response to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Nov. 14, Mobolade said “That incident during my campaign led to a very traumatic time for my family, my campaign team, and our community.”
“My knowledge and interaction with Bernard was as a local media personality, and I was not aware at the time that he was suspected of this crime,” Mobolade said in an emailed statement.
The indictment
A federal grand jury indicted Bernard, 35, Blackcloud, 40, and West, 38, on charges of maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado said in a Nov. 12 news release.
Blackcloud was arrested Nov. 12 and West was arrested Nov. 13, court records show.
In an unrelated case, Bernard is set to serve a life sentence in state prison in connection with accusations that he ordered the killing of William Underwood, a rapper known as “FYL Jackk,” The Gazette reported. He plans to appeal his conviction in that case, according to the newspaper.
Mary V. Butteron, the senior litigator for Colorado’s federal public defender’s office who represents West, declined McClatchy News’ request for comment Nov. 14 as part of her office’s media policy.
Attorney Britt Cobb, who represents Blackcloud, told McClatchy News on Nov. 14 that “Ms. Blackcloud has pled not guilty and looks forward to establishing her innocence in an open and fair court proceeding.”
Bernard’s legal representation wasn’t listed in court records Nov. 14.
In a statement on his indictment that was provided to The Gazette, Bernard said “it’s a shame what lengths the system will go in order to misdirect and slander those whom bring the criminality of public servants to the attention of the people.”
Bernard, Blackcloud and West are associated with a nonprofit, Family Flavors the Slide WBN, according to the indictment, which says the group “marketed itself as a minority owned independent broadcasting and multi-media organization.”
“Family Flavors The Slide WBN stands by our members,” the group’s board of directors told McClatchy News via email on Nov. 14. “We await their opportunity to defend these allegations in a fair and public trial.”
The messages to the then-mayoral candidate
According to the indictment, Bernard texted Mobolade several hours after he’s accused of staging the hate crime hoax.
In the message, Bernard wrote: “‘I guarantee the finish’ in response to a message about needing support to get to the ‘finish line’ of the mayoral election,” the indictment says.
Bernard texted Mobolade again on April 25, 2023, mentioning some “foul stuff came up” and that he’s “not about to play with racist cowards.”
The evening of April 26, 2023, Bernard and Mobolade had an estimated five-minute phone conversation the indictment says.
When Mobolade was elected as the mayor of Colorado Springs on May 16, 2023, Bernard sent Mobolade a text that said, in part, that “we got you through it all brother” and referenced handling “business” another time, according to the indictment.
That day, Bernard sent a text to Blackcloud with a link for job positions for Colorado Springs and told her “‘on backend I got a plan’ and ‘I want favors quicker than later,’” the indictment says.
City officials told KOAA News5 that Bernard, Blackcloud and West were not associated with the mayor’s campaign.
Mobolade, in his statement to McClatchy News, said he appreciates “local and federal law enforcement’s work in pursuing justice and sending a message that we will not tolerate such reprehensible behavior.”
In a statement to KOAA News5, Williams, who ran against Mobolade, said the alleged hate crime hoax was an egregious “smear attempt.”
“I applaud the efforts of the US Attorney’s Office to hold the alleged perpetrators of this dangerous false flag operation accountable. This event illustrates how far some will go to spread election disinformation,” Williams said, according to the outlet.
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Group put burning cross in front of mayoral campaign sign to fake a hate crime, feds say."
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