Federal prosecutors recently filed charges against three individuals for orchestrating a fabricated hate crime involving a racial slur and a burning cross in an effort to assist a left-wing candidate in winning the mayoral election in Colorado Springs.
The accused—Derrick Bernard, Ashley Blackcloud, and Deanna West—were linked to a so-called “minority-owned independent broadcasting and multimedia organization.” According to prosecutors, they wrote the slur on a campaign sign for Yemi Mobolade, a Black candidate, set fire to a cross nearby, took photographs, and shared these images with the media to enhance Mobolade’s campaign visibility.
This incident followed a closely contested election in April 2023, in which Mobolade and his opponent, white Republican Wayne Williams, were nearly tied, leading to a runoff election the subsequent month. Public sentiment shifted significantly before the runoff, with Mobolade ultimately securing a surprising 58% of the vote. He now serves as the mayor of Colorado’s second-largest city.
After Mobolade’s runoff victory, Bernard reportedly texted him, saying, “we got you through it all brother.” Bernard also reached out to Blackcloud, indicating he hoped for special considerations from Mobolade, sharing details of city job openings and expressing a desire for “favors quicker than later.”
In the wake of the initial election, Bernard messaged Blackcloud about discussing future plans, and he contacted Mobolade on April 13 to convey that he had learned of a “plot.” Allegedly, he also told Blackcloud that “they ain’t tryna let an African win” but that he had a strategy in place.
On the morning of April 23, the trio purportedly executed the staged hate crime, sending emails with photographs to both Mobolade and various media outlets from an anonymous email account. This message aimed to mobilize Black voters, stating that the impact of hate crimes extends beyond the immediate victim to anyone sharing the victim’s identity.
Later that evening, at 7:30 p.m., Bernard texted Mobolade, stating, “I guarantee the finish,” in reference to needing support to complete his campaign successfully, as outlined in the indictment.
On April 25, Bernard reached out to Mobolade again, expressing concern about troubling content in their email correspondence. The following day, they spoke over the phone for five minutes, according to the indictment.
Media outlets reported on the incident extensively. KDVR noted that during the competitive race, racially charged messages appeared to target Mobolade, a West African immigrant. An NAACP representative, Rashad Younger, mentioned that while Mobolade’s campaign assumed the incident was a hoax, the organization was treating it seriously. Angela Stevens, president of Colorado Springs’ NAACP, characterized the incident as voter intimidation and stated, “Do we believe it’s a hoax? Personally, we do not.”
The Daily Wire inquired with a spokesperson for Mayor Mobolade regarding his awareness of the scheme, what he interpreted Bernard’s “plot amidst” comment to mean, and other details about the alleged conversations. Vanessa Zink, a spokesperson for Colorado Springs, provided a statement from Mobolade, who remarked, “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 were as a local media personality, and I was not aware at the time that he was suspected of this crime. I appreciate local and federal law enforcement’s work in pursuing justice and sending a message that we will not tolerate such reprehensible behavior.”
The three individuals face charges for making false statements and threats via interstate commerce, having utilized the internet for searches like “contact news about a story” and “candidates racist acts during campaign.”
Following the alleged staging of the fake hate crime, Bernard has been sentenced to life in prison for an unrelated murder in Texas. West remains at large, while Blackcloud is currently in custody.
