Black mother, attorney ginned up hate hoax that turned white teen's life upside down. Now Texas judge makes them pay.



A white Texas student's life was turned upside down by a hate hoax perpetrated by a black acquaintance's mother, Summer Smith, and her lawyer, Kim Cole.

Smith and Cole were at last visited by consequence on Jan. 22, when a Texas judge awarded the student, Asher Vann, $3.2 million in attorneys fees and damages from the duo.

A mother's hate hoax

Smith, of Plano, Texas, came forward in March 2021 with allegations about her black son's supposed bullying by a white acquaintance and other classmates.

'They knowingly and intentionally launched a crusade of false facts, allegations, and narratives to create a social media and public outrage.'

After lobbing various accusations and sharing images of minors from the Plano Independent School District online, Smith held a press conference where she alleged that her then-13-year-old son, SeMarion Humphrey, was subjected to racially charged abuse, forced to drink urine from a plastic cup, shot with BB guns at a sleepover, and threatened so that he would not speak out.

"This is not a prank. This is beyond bullying. You are evil. They are evil," Smith said at the press conference.

Cole — a lawyer who briefly represented Karmelo Anthony, the man accused of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet last year — claimed that the supposed abuse at the sleepover was "pre-calculated" and "racially motivated" and alleged further that Humphrey's peers used racial and "homophobic" slurs against him.

RELATED: ANOTHER Black Lives Matter scam exposed: Oklahoma leader accused of blowing funds on trips, real estate, shopping sprees

Photographer: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The duo's claims were not only gobbled up by Dominique Alexander, the founder of Next Generation Action Network, and other leftist activists who demanded "justice" and marched with the supposed victim but amplified by the liberal media and in a viral petition that secured over 182,000 signatures.

The school district, faced with intense scrutiny after Smith's press conference, launched an investigation into the matter. The Plano Police Department similarly indicated that it was looking into the matter.

Facing similar pressure, then-Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere joined other officials in condemning the alleged "abhorrent behavior" and spoke of the need to "end bullying and racial abuse in our school and certainly in our community."

The false victim narrative that prompted all this hand-wringing initially proved lucrative for Smith.

With Cole's help, Smith was able to raise nearly $120,000 on GoFundMe in the name of therapy, private schooling, and "justice for SeMarion."

The Washington Free Beacon, citing court records, reported that less than $1,000 of the money raised went toward Humphrey's schooling. The rest was blown on luxuries including dining, travel, beauty products, liquor, cell phones, car payments, rent, and a designer dog.

While Smith raked in the cash, Asher Vann, the white student accused of organizing the alleged attack on Humphrey, was vilified and attacked.

"I was getting death threats from thousands of people on social media," Vann told the Free Beacon. "People leaked my address and my name. During one of the protests, they walked all the way to my house and threw bricks through my house."

"It was scary," continued Vann, whose family apparently often looked after Humphrey. "These were adults, and I was in middle school at the time. Full-grown adults were rushing my house and causing harm to it. What if I was home and they saw me? They could have ripped me from my home and beaten me. It was very scary."

In addition to bricks and vitriol, Vann was slapped along with some of his friends with criminal charges — charges that a grand jury declined to accept and a Plano Police Department officer admitted last year likely lacked probable cause, the Free Beacon reported.

A father's justice

Aaron Vann ultimately sued Cole and Smith on behalf of his son, Asher.

The lawsuit accused the duo of:

  • creating an "outrageously false narrative for the purposes of raising money and garnering attention, at the expense of children's privacy";
  • invasion of privacy, noting that Smith and Cole apparently publicized the teen's name and address "with the express purpose of causing humiliation, public ridicule, and inspiring public hatred and harassment" of the teen; and
  • acting "intentionally and/or recklessly, when they knowingly and intentionally launched a crusade of false facts, allegations, and narratives to create a social media and public outrage designed to torment [Asher] and subject him to intense ridicule, hatred, embarrassment, and fear – all based on facts Defendants knew to be false."
Vann's complaint, which also suggested that Cole helped manufacture the controversy in order to gain exposure and "free publicity for her law firm," emphasized that Humphrey wasn't the victim of a "sadistic racist fantasy" but rather one among a group of boys who "acted stupidly by playing with BB guns and playing gross pranks on each other."

According to Plano Police Department Officer Patricia McClure's 2025 testimony cited by the Beacon, the boys attending the sleepover apparently went outside with airsoft rifles and BB guns in search of frogs during a winter storm. Absent any sign of amphibian targets, the boys reportedly took turns shooting one another. Later, they pranked one another.

Vann suggested to the Beacon that there was no ill will between him and Humphrey after the sleepover but that Smith later caught wind of the events and pushed an alternate version in the press.

The case was called to trial in late October, and a jury — which included four black members — found that Smith and Cole effectively blew up Asher Vann's life with a false narrative.

Judge Benjamin Smith of Texas' 380th Judicial District Court ruled late last month that for their "intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy" against the young man, Smith and her lawyer must each pay $1,599,000, accruing interest at a rate of 7.5% per annum. The judge also ordered both women to each pay several thousand dollars more for Vann's attorney fees.

Smith told the Beacon she plans on filing an appeal and maintains that her preferred narrative is the truth. Cole did not return Blaze News' request for comment.

This is not the Vann family's first court victory in recent years.

The Vanns took the Plano Independent School District to court after it suspended Asher Vann for three days and placed him in an off-campus disciplinary program for 75 days amid Smith's hate hoax campaign. In 2022, a U.S. district court found that the district had indeed violated the boy's substantive due process rights.

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Pakistani family blamed the far right for torching their house. A few candlelit vigils later, the truth has come out



A home belonging to a family of Pakistani migrants was set ablaze in the German town of Wächtersbach on Christmas Day 2023.

Phantasmal right-wingers were immediately blamed for the arson. The family members, meanwhile, were depicted as victims of so-called Islamophobia and xenophobia.

This narrative, agreeable to European leftists and the liberal media, recently went up in smoke.

A convenient spark

The fire began around 1 a.m. on Christmas morning and did roughly $379,000 in damage.

The fire brigade found anti-migrant slogans scrawled inside the smoldering ruins. Der Spiegel reported that the words "foreigners out" had been spray-painted on some of the inside walls. The graffiti had apparently been written before the fire broke out.

— (@)

Andreas Weiher, the town's leftist mayor, said, "If the suspicion of a xenophobic crime is confirmed, it would of course be a catastrophe."

The Wächtersbach Foreigners Advisory Board reportedly stated, "We are deeply shocked that such an inhumane, possibly racially motivated arson attack was carried out on a family with children."

The state security agency swiftly launched an investigation into the possibility that right-wing extremism may have been responsible for the fire.

Vigils and demonstrations were held in the days that followed, both in solidarity with the family and in opposition to the supposed racists believed responsible.

Banners that read, "Right-wing terror threatens our society," were carried down German streets.

Leftist politicians eagerly embraced the narrative, giving impassioned speeches and firing off angry missives — suggesting the arson was politically motivated and possibly executed by neo-Nazis.

Sawsan Chebli, a German politician with the Social Democratic Party and staunch critic of Israel, was one of the leftists who attempted to exploit the incident, stating in German on Dec. 29, "It makes me sad, but it doesn't surprise me. People tell me every day that they have racist experiences, be it at work, in everyday life or at school."

Chebli suggested the arson was reflective of an anti-Muslim undercurrent in Germany, intimating right-wing politicians were responsible and that "what is happening at the moment is putting democracy at great risk."

Janine Wissler, a parliamentarian with the aptly named Left Party, stated, "It is not enough to condemn these acts, you have to fight the breeding ground that promotes right-wing violence: the strengthening of the right and the racist incitement against people with a migration background and refugees," reported the local broadcaster.

"The slogans that were discovered on the walls are despicable and inflammatory," said Martina Feldmayer, a parliamentarian with the eco-socialist Green party. "Anyone who commits such acts attack our entire society."

It turns out that the societal attack condemned by Feldmayer was not perpetrated by right-wing extremists but rather by those widely portrayed as victims.

Another hate hoax

The German newspaper Bild recently reported that the homeowner, 47, has been arrested along with his wife, 33, his 18-year-old son, his brother-in law, 34, and another Pakistani migrant, 55, who allegedly gave the family a false alibi.

According to the German paper Junge Freiheit, the family has been slapped with various charges including joint serious arson, feigning a crime, attempted insurance fraud in a particularly serious case, and serious fraud.

The father and brother-in-law, both Pakistani nationals, are accused of burning down the building using an accelerant. The son is said to have both reported the damage to the insurance company at his father's behest and attended an inspection of the aftermath with insurance agents. The mother is said to have been altogether complicit in the scheme.

The 55-year-old Pakistani national said to have given the family a false alibi has reportedly been charged with "attempted obstruction of justice."

The Hanau public prosecutor's office indicated that the arson served to net the family a six-figure insurance settlement. Additionally, the prosecutors office noted that ahead of the house burning, the owner's wife sold off various household items in an apparent effort to maximize their return on the scheme.

Investigators turned their attention to the homeowner after noticing he had fresh burns despite claiming he was not home when the fire started on Christmas morning. The family told authorities in their statements that they had been visiting with friends on the day of the incident.

The Alternative for Germany in Hesse, the local chapter of the country's increasingly popular right-wing party, said in a statement obtained by Rebel News, "For our political competitors, the house fire was obviously a welcome opportunity to inflict hatred and agitation on our party and our voters. Almost reflexively, the SPD, the Left and the Greens classified this crime as politically motivated."

"Waechtersbach's mayor (a member of SPD), who is said to have known the affected Pakistani family to be well integrated, took the same line," continued the AFD. "Anyone who attracts attention with criminal acts in their freely chosen host country at least raises doubts about successful integration. But we now trust that the German judiciary will make an appropriate assessment. And an apology from the protagonists of the vigil is now in order."

The South East Hesse Police indicated last week that the five suspects remained in custody due to the risk of concealment and escape.

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Somali activist raised over $42,000 claiming she fell victim to a brick attack. Surveillance footage says otherwise.



Roda Osman, a 33-year-old Somali activist, claimed in a viral video in September that she had been viciously assaulted with a brick by a man whose advances she shot down. Osman claimed further that the assault went unanswered before a crowd of black men who all supposedly watched the incident unfold with total indifference.

On the basis of her claims of victimhood and trauma, Osman ended up raising over $42,000 on GoFundMe.

While the Washington Post's Karen Attiah, the Root's Candace McDuffie, and other leftists bought into Osman's claims hook, line, and sinker, many critics figured there was more to the story than the activist initially let on.

The skeptics appear to have been vindicated by surveillance footage revealing Osman's claims to be likely untrue. Osman has, in turn, been slapped with charges of felony theft by deception. She has yet to be located and arrested.

The incident, according to Osman

Osman posted a video to social media in September, which has since been reshared by the Shade Room and other accounts, wherein she claimed a man smashed her face with a brick in Houston, Texas, after she refused to give him her phone number.

Osman says in the video, "Yo, this man just hit me in my face with a brick and all these black men just watched and they don't give a f***."

The supposed victim berated men nearby, screaming, "Why don't you be a man?"

KPRC-TV reported that Houston police officers responded to the scene of an aggravated assault incident on Sept. 3 and met with Osman and her female friend. Officers indicated in their report that Osman was drunk and hostile during the encounter.

Osman, whose Instagram account is littered with anti-white racism and twerking videos, reportedly told police that she was walking on Schumacher Lane when a stranger whose advances she rejected threw a brick at her.

According to the charging document obtained by the Daily Beast, Osman specified that the suspect was an Uber driver whom she initially had summoned. Osman reportedly went so far as to suggest the Uber driver tried to kidnap her, was involved in human trafficking, and had a car full of women.

A profitable tale

The next day, a GoFundMe campaign with a $25,000 goal appeared called, "Help Roda Recover." Osman was listed as the beneficiary.

"Because of this vicious attack she will have to manage hospital bills, therapy, and time away from work, school and childcare while she heals mentally and physically. Unfortunately, no one stepped in to help her that night - it would mean so much if we could step up and help her as she heals," said the campaign, allegedly created by a friend of Osman named Kiara Davis.

Thousands of donations quickly began pouring in. As of Oct. 25, 2023, the campaign had raised over $42,300.

In addition to sympathetic donors, various leftists and liberal publications took Osman at her word.

The Root, among them, reported Osman "could have been killed — her injuries are unbelievably horrific — and the moment that she needed to be safeguarded the most is when she was left to fend for herself."

Not everyone bought the story, however.

Some critics dredged up various social media posts and videos Oman had previously shared, which they believed undermined her credibility — including a video where she appears to slap a stranger in the face, then proceed to dance provocatively.

Additionally, the Harris County District Attorney's Office indicated she might have previously perpetrated another assault hoax in Minneapolis for which she fundraised nearly $5,000 on GoFundMe.

In the face of mounting skepticism, Osman told NBC News, "First they're like, where's the police report?' You don't have a police report.' I show the police report. Then they're like, 'Oh, it's a fake police report.'"

"Then they're like 'Show us the hospital records. You don't have hospital records.' I show them the hospital records. 'It's fake hospital records,'" continued Osman. "The goal posts will never be met."

Uju Anya, an associate professor of second language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University, suggested that Osman's critics were "Black men literally using white supremacist tactics to discredit and dehumanize a Black woman."

Footage and charges

When detectives finally got in touch with Osman on Sept. 19, she reportedly stuck to the broad outlines of her initial narrative, alleging she got into a car she had mistaken for an Uber and was assaulted by a man named Olan Douglas.

Over the course of the interview, Osman made changes to her story, including the location where the supposed assault occurred. When her narrative began to crumble, KPRC reported Osman became upset, demanded to speak to the detective's supervisor, then hung up.

Houston detectives ultimately got their hands on surveillance footage in the area where the assault supposedly occurred.

Detectives indicated they observed Osman, her friend, and Olan Douglas chatting and walking toward TikTalk Garden Lounge, then go into the club together in the footage. After 20 minutes, they reportedly emerged from the club, then traipsed toward a white Maserati parked nearby.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows Osman dance on her supposed attacker while her friend was in the front of the vehicle with another man. After Osman concluded her dance, surveillance footage reportedly showed the remainder of the foursome get into the Maserati, with Douglas and Osman in the back seat.

The charging document indicates that minutes later, Douglas, Osman, and her friend exited the vehicle, at which time Douglas and Osman allegedly got into a spat.

A detective told NBC News that Osman can be seen slapping the man whom she had danced on. In response, he allegedly smacked Osman with a hand gripping a plastic water bottle. Douglas then reportedly departed in an Audi A3 that had pulled up, while Osman seated herself in the front passenger seat of the Maserati.

Keith Houston of the Harris County District Attorney's Office told KPRC the water bottle is likely "what left the mark on her, on her face. But it was mutual combat."

While KPRC indicated Osman has yet to respond to an request for comment, she noted in an Instagram story Wednesday, "I actually have things going on in my life. I actually have real ways to make money. I don't have to get a GoFundMe for money. I actually can earn income because I'm actually educated and I actually am talented."

Osman is wanted for theft in Harris County.

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Nigerian-born brothers paid by Jussie Smollett to stage fake hate crime speak out, call the actor a 'crazy fraudster'



A jury in Chicago found disgraced actor Jussie Smollett guilty on five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct in December 2021, concluding that the former "Empire" actor had staged a fake hate crime against himself, then lied to police about it.

Instrumental in the scheme were two Nigerian-born brothers whom Smollett paid to place a noose around his neck, rough him up, and shout racial and homophobic slurs in view of a street camera.

Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — aspiring actors whom Smollett knew from the Chicago set of "Empire" and from the gym — recently broke their silence and spoke candidly to Fox Nation about their dealings with Smollett in a new special entitled "Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax."

The Osundairo brothers denounced Smollett in the interview as a "crazy fraudster" who sought to deceive the people of Chicago and the broader American public in order to advance his career and status as a "poster boy for activism."

"I thought he was a good actor, but I also was thinking that this guy's a fraud. This guy is really sitting here just lying to these people, lying through his teeth and not caring," said Abimbola. "I think he shed a tear. ... This dude crazy, man. He shed a tear, man. This dude wild."

Smollett's apparent indifference to the possible incrimination of two innocent supporters of then-President Donald Trump as a result of his hoax did not stagger the brothers so much as the actor's commitment to the deception after the fact.

In his first interview after staging the hate hoax, Smollett tearfully told ABC's "Good Morning America" in February 2019, "I will never be the man that this did not happen to. I am forever changed. ... And I don't subscribe to the idea that everything happens for a reason, but I do subscribe to the idea that we have the right and the responsibility to make something meaningful out of the things that happen to us, good and bad."

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Smollett lashed out at those who questioned his story, saying, "It’s not necessarily that you don’t believe that this is the truth. You don’t even want to see the truth. ... I have to acknowledge the lies, and the hate. And it feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more. A lot more."

TheBlaze previously reported that in his first post-conviction interview in June 2023, Smollett reflected on his remarks on "Good Morning America" and doubled down, saying that "every single word that [he] said in that interview was the truth."

The Osundairo brothers told Fox Nation that Smollett's serial lying was "insane. That's when I really saw a different side of Jussie. Like, dude, really? This is when I knew that this dude was like a super villain."

Despite Smollett's rhetoric about racial justice, the brothers noted that he prioritized his lie over their well-being, having hanged them out to dry and refused to accept any accountability over what happened.

"I did feel betrayed by Jussie and what he had done. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't ready to say anything. Like, I was mute," said Abimbola.

After helping Smollett craft a hoax the nation's most powerful Democrats unquestioningly accepted as true, the Osundairo brothers told Fox Nation they flew to Nigeria, where they contemplated whether they had done a good job.

When pressed on whether they played "believable white supremacists," Abimbola laughed, saying, "One hundred percent! Look at me."

While Abimbola quipped about his performance, it was evidently good enough to convince Vice President Kamala Harris:

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However, they did not ultimately fool law enforcement officials, who were waiting for the brothers upon their return to the United States.

"When I was getting off the plane, the customs agent was checking everyone’s passport, and when they got to me, they pulled me aside," said Abimbola. "Two big-a** police officers came up – I was like damn, it’s over with. They got me."

Forty-seven hours after being detained, the brothers opened up to police, noting that Jussie's motive, while not made explicit during their conversations, was undoubtedly about increasing "his star level."

"He wanted to be the poster child for activism," said Olabinjo.

Abimbola added, "He wanted to be the hero for gay people, for black people."

Judge James B. Linn speculated about Smollett's motivations before issuing his sentence, saying, "You wanted to make yourself more famous" through the elaborate, "premeditated" caper and then "you threw a national pity party for yourself."

As for their own motives, the brothers indicated they had hoped Smollett "could probably help us out with our careers."

The Osundairo brothers reconstructed Smollett's hate hoax for Fox Nation:

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Facebook user threatens to kill black people at Alabama fair, adds 'white power' message and Confederate flag. Cops say black man is behind post.



An 18-year-old black man is behind a Facebook post that promised to kill black people at an Alabama fair and used white supremacist imagery, police told AL.com.

What are the details?

The Facebook user indicated in the post that he and his friends “are coming to [the] Opelika Alabama fair to kill every NEGRO that we lay eye contact on so be prepared. WHITE POWER," the outlet said, adding that the poster’s profile included the Confederate battle flag.

Opelika police said they launched an investigation Sept. 19 after learning about the "racially inflammatory" post that included a threat to "shoot attendees of a certain demographic at the upcoming Lee County Fair."

The department added that it "takes threats like these very seriously" and that it would "provide additional officers for security to ensure the safety of all fair attendees."

A day later, police said they had a suspect.

"Officials were able to trace the social media account to a residence in Lafayette, AL," police said. "Through the investigation, 18-year-old Pharrell Smith was developed as a suspect." Lafayette police arrested Smith on "unrelated charges" on Oct. 6, police said.

\u201cFAIR TERRORISTIC THREAT SUSPECT https://t.co/VZtoiMS9QD\u201d
— Opelika Police Department (@Opelika Police Department) 1665091924

Opelika police added that once he's released from the custody of Lafayette police, Smith would be extradited to Lee County and arrested on a terroristic threat charge.

Police added that those with information on the case can contact the Opelika Police Department Detective Division at 334-705-5220 or the Secret Witness Hotline at 334-745-8665 — and anonymous tips can be submitted through the Opelika Police Mobile App.

'Another day... another hoax!'

Among the comments under the police department's Facebook post about the arrest, one reads, "Wow! Another day... another hoax! Let’s hope justice is served and he gets the full amount. Please do... persecutors and judges."

Hate hoax: Racist death threat written on Sacramento high school wall was done by black students, sheriff's office says



An apparent hate hoax at a California high school was exposed by authorities after the suspects – who are black – were caught red-handed writing a racist death threat.

Shortly after 5 p.m. on March 22, officials at Rosemont High School in the Sacramento City Unified School District reported that they found a racist death threat on the wall of a second-floor hallway in the school building. The racist graffiti written in pencil read: "All n*****s should die."

The graffiti sparked a full investigation by the Sacramento City Unified School District, as well as a public response from the superintendent and board president.

"Sac City Unified does not take any incident of racism lightly, and that is why we are widely sharing that another act of disgraceful racist graffiti has taken place in our schools," Superintendent Jorge A. Aguilar said. "As a community we need to loudly condemn this hateful act. Racist incidents will not be tolerated in our schools. We will work to provide the support needed for our students and staff experiencing trauma from this incident as soon as possible."

"The Board of Education is unified and committed to providing a safe and anti-racist learning environment for our students," Board President Christina Pritchett said. "We fully denounce all racist behavior, and will continue to do whatever we can to support our African-American community members who need to feel welcomed and loved at our schools."

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said, "Two Rosemont High School students were observed writing a racial obscenity" by a surveillance camera.

However, the surveillance video shows that the alleged perpetrators of the racist death threat are actually black.

"Rosemont High School Administrators were able to obtain video surveillance footage showing two African-American female juveniles clearly writing the graffiti on the wall," the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said.

Based on the video, school officials and detectives were able to identify both students accused of the hate hoax vandalism.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office stated it will "consult with the Juvenile Division of the District Attorney’s Office if criminal charges are warranted."

This is the second time in two months that there has been an alleged hate hoax in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

In February, a black female student confessed to writing the words "White" and "Colored" over water fountains at McClatchy High School.

Before the confession, the racist vandalism ignited protests with activists marching with signs that read, "END ANTI-BLACK HATE" and "NO ROOM FOR HATE."

Pair Accused Of Writing Racist Graffiti On Wall At Rosemont High School www.youtube.com

Here we go again: Racist note in school restroom — which led to campus protest — reportedly written by student of color



Yet another racist note was discovered in a school earlier this month — this time in a restroom in Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women in upstate New York, a private, all-girls Catholic school serving students in grades 6 through 12.

And yet again, a student of color reportedly wrote the racist sentiment — which included the N-word.

What are the details?

The graffiti — which read "This school is filled with a bunch of [N-word]. Get out or else!!" — was discovered in a school restroom March 7, WHEC-TV reported.

Students sent a message to Primetime585 — the social media handle of Karen Iglesia, who chronicles local sports and knows many high school athletes, the station said.

Iglesia shared an image of the graffiti on Twitter and added: "My inbox was flooded today from @OLM_HS girls. This note was written in the bathroom, and they had issues on how the administration dealt w/ it. They (many athletes — all WHITE) begged me to post it because they were so upset at how trivial the school made it."

WHEC said students protested outside of the school on the morning of March 8.

Well, by March 10 the school announced that an investigation into the incident culminated with a student coming forward and taking responsibility for writing the racist message, the station said.

And while the school said maximum disciplinary action has been taken, the powers that be didn't name the culprit, WHEC said. But unlike other schools that have faced similar situations, it's apparently not saying anything about the student's race.

What did the school have to say?

The school sent the following statement to Rochester media, the station said:

"Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women has concluded our thorough investigation into the racist graffiti incident that was brought to our attention early Monday morning. The investigation was led by the Brighton Police Department with full cooperation of Mercy administration and faculty. During the investigative process, one of our students confessed to writing the graffiti in the girls bathroom. For legal reasons, and in accordance with Mercy’s confidentiality practices, the student will not be identified. Mercy has zero tolerance for this kind of behavior; appropriate and maximum disciplinary action has been taken.

"Even though closure has come to this single incident, there is so much more work to do to understand what people are feeling and fearing. Our students and our community are distressed and hurt; Mercy will work to help heal the wounds caused by this incident, as well as help heal deep-rooted, related feelings this incident has brought to the surface. Consistent with the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy, we are planning events and initiatives in the coming weeks to recognize and acknowledge the powerful emotions that are present within our community. We are a compassionate institution, built on a foundation of faith, hope, and love and made strong by the resilience of our students, families, faculty, staff, and everyone within the Circle of Mercy. The road ahead will not be easy, but our love for each other and our school will light the way."

Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi added to WHEC that "we have shared the results of our investigation with OLM. They have decided to handle the matter internally and not pursue criminal charges. Therefore, we will not further identify the person."

But that ain't all

Bob Lonsberry — a radio talk-show host for stations in Rochester and Syracuse — tweeted on March 11 that "four sources, including two in government, have confirmed that the N-word graffiti found in a Mercy High School bathroom wall, and which led to upset and a protest, was written by an African-American student."

A number of users who commented on Lonsberry's tweet weren't surprised; one of them asked, "Isn't it wonderful that we live in a country so bereft of actual racism that it needs to be invented?"

However, Igelsia also replied to Lonsberry's tweet and said his information is inaccurate — but not in the way you might be imagining.

"NOT TRUE… she is HISPANIC… " Iglesia tweeted, adding that "a Hispanic is NOT considered African American ..."

(H/T: The Post Millennial)

Black college student claimed she was hate crime victim; campus protests erupted. But it was yet another hate hoax; student now charged with felonies.



A black college student who last month claimed she was a hate crime victim — which resulted in protests on the campus of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville — has been accused of making up the whole thing.

What are the details?

Kaliyeha A. Clark-Mabins, 19, was charged Friday with three counts of disorderly conduct for telling campus police that two notes were posted on her dormitory room door reading "BLACK PEOPLE DON'T BELONG" and "DIE BITCH," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, citing charging documents.

Campus Reform posted the charging documents identifying Clark-Mabins as a black female. The college's police department added in a statement that the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Clark-Mabins with filing a false police report and that the resulting disorderly conduct counts against her are class 4 felonies.

The Post-Dispatch said no lawyer was listed for Clark-Mabins, adding that she couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

Campus police added that its investigation — which also involved the U.S. Secret Service — concluded that two individuals originally accused have been cleared of any involvement.

University officials said they were "saddened by the harm" the accused pair "endured because of false accusations," the Post-Dispatch reported.

The paper said the school added: "Although false reporting of racial and bias incidents is isolated and rare, this case should remind every member of our community how important it is to preserve and protect due process and fairness in our procedures and communications."

Here's a video report that aired prior to the revelation that the hate crime accusation was fabricated:

SIUE police investigate racial incident on campusyoutu.be

What's the background?

Campus police on Jan. 23 said they received a report of a hate crime involving the posting of handwritten notes on the dorm room door in Woodland Residence Hall, along with an alleged anonymous text message thread from the fall of 2021 containing threatening and racially hostile content.

Students then launched protests in the wake of what appeared to be white-against-black hate crimes, KSDK-TV reported.

David Daniel, a senior and vice president of the Black Student Union on campus, told the station the school's administration sent a campus-wide email about a bias incident. Soon images of the sticky notes were being shared — and KSDK said text message images contained racial slurs and threats, including the N-word and "lynch."

Daniel then organized a demonstration during which students chanted and held up posters, the station said, adding that in one clip students were seen facing the college chancellor and other staff.

"They say it's under investigation, but I feel like [the accused] shouldn't be on campus period," Daniel added to KSDK. "Because you threatened to lynch students on this campus."

Jussie Smollett reportedly held a 'dry run' ahead of staged hate crime — and it was caught on video



The Jussie Smollett trial is under way in Chicago this week, and things already don't appear to be going in the defendant's favor.

During opening arguments on Monday, special prosecutor Dan Webb claimed that the former "Empire" actor orchestrated the entire alleged hate crime incident, even going so far as to perform a "dry run" of the attack before it was carried out. Moreover, the practice session was reportedly caught on surveillance video, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Smollett — who is black and gay — made national headlines in 2019 after claiming to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack carried out by two Nigerian brothers who supported then-President Donald Trump.

But following an ensuing investigation, authorities determined that Smollett had staged the hate crime in an effort to boost his acting career. Smollett is now being tried in court on six counts of felony disorderly conduct.

Prosecutors argued in court on Monday that the surveillance video and corroborating testimony from the brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, amount to critical evidence proving their case against the actor. Here's more from the Tribune:

Webb said Abimbola will testify that days before the incident, Smollett texted him asking for help “on the low.” The two later talked in Smollett’s car, with the actor telling him specifically he wanted them to shout a racial epithet and “MAGA!” to make it seem like the assailants were racist supporters of President Trump.

“I want you to attack me, but when you hit me, I want you to kind of pull your punches a bit because I don’t want to get seriously hurt,” Webb said Smollett told the brothers. Smollett also instructed them to put a rope around his neck to “make it look more like a lynching, like a hate crime,” Webb said.

The three men went on a “dry run” before the attack, part of which was captured on surveillance camera, Webb said. Smollett’s Mercedes can be seen circling the Streeterville intersection, showing the brothers the area where he wanted the attack to occur, Webb said.

The Chicago Sun-Times also reported that text messages between Smollett and the Osundairo brothers sent after the incident further implicate the defendant.

According to the outlet, Chicago detective Michael Theis testified in court that Smollett texted the brothers after their arrest, telling Abimbola Osundairo that he had his back and instructing him to call after their release.

“'I know 1000%. You and your brother did nothing wrong... I am making this statement so everyone else knows ... Please hit me when they let you go. I am behind you fully,' Smollett texted,” Theis stated.

In response to the prosecution's arguments, Smollett's defense team maintained that their client was innocent and furthermore the victim of a real crime.

"From the very first moment, Jussie's truth, what he said happened, has remained constant, it has remained consistent, it has not changed. There has not been a Part 1, there has not been a Part 2 ... because it's the truth," defense attorney Nenye Uche said, according to the Tribune.

Uche added that the Osundairo brothers were "sophisticated, highly intelligent criminals."

Black college student arrested after allegedly posting fake racist frat party invite that read, 'No blacks'



A black student at East Carolina University was arrested after police said he posted a fake racist fraternity party invite that read "No blacks."

The arrest comes after another student was initially accused of posting the invite, after which he said he received death threats.

What are the details?

James Daniel Edwards, 19, was booked Friday at the Pitt County Jail on a misdemeanor cyberstalking charge that came with a $1,000 bond. Edwards' race is listed as black in jail records.

Officials said Edwards turned himself in at the jail, the News & Observer reported.

ECU student arrested for fake racist fraternity party invite https://t.co/B6lcb2D6IA https://t.co/5XurCGLxgr

— WITN Headlines (@WITN) 1633380773.0

What's the background?

In August, police in Greenville, North Carolina, launched an investigation regarding a Yik Yak app post inviting people to a Theta Chi rush party with one eye-opening caveat: "No blacks," the invite read, according to WITN-TV.

Image source: WITN-TV video screenshot

Yik Yak allows users to post anonymously in a local area, the News & Observer reported, adding that the frat party never took place.

What's more, the name and phone number of ECU Theta Chi Chapter member, Austin Hunter, were attached to the invite, the station said.

"It's caused a lot of stress and anxiety," Hunter told WITN after his name was cleared. "To be accused of something that I didn't do, that really sucks. My name and number were posted in the college newspaper, and I was being harassed with calls and texts, and I even received death threats."

Image source: WITN-TV video screenshot

Greenville police spokesperson Kristen Hunter told WITN the department worked closely with Yik Yak to find out who actually posted the racist invite — and warned users that their anonymity only goes so far when posts are malicious.

"If you have any type of social media app, there is a digital footprint," Hunter added to the station. "There is a way to track this type of activity and behavior. So, I would certainly caution anybody that's looking to utilize anonymous apps that we can find you."

Suspect is member of different frat

The two-month investigation culminated with the arrest of Edwards, who is a member of ECU's Pi Lambda Phi chapter, WITN said.

According to a previous WITN report, Edwards' intended major is political science, and Pi Lambda Phi's website lists him as vice president of recruitment.

When WITN reached Edwards on Monday afternoon, the station reported that he said "no comment" until he gets a lawyer.

'Don't spread rumors'

Austin told WITN he hopes the outcome of the controversy teaches others that accusations before all the facts are in can have long-term consequences and should be avoided.

"Because something is posted, doesn't mean it's true," he told the station. "Don't spread rumors. What happened to me can happen to anyone."

What did the college have to say?

"We are aware of the arrest by Greenville Police of an ECU student related to a racist Yik Yak post earlier this semester," John Mountz, ECU director of student engagement said, according to WITN. "We appreciate the efforts of the Greenville Police to identify the individual who made the post and to clear the name of the student and the Theta Chi fraternity listed in the original post. We will continue to work with our students and campus to build a welcoming and inclusive community for all."

(H/T: The College Fix)