This photo shows a racist scene that federal prosecutors say was staged by supporters of Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade during the 2023 campaign. (Photo provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office)
Three supporters of Colorado Springs’ Black mayor set up a burning cross and spray-painted a racist slur on one of his campaign signs during the 2023 mayoral runoff in an attempt to help then-candidate Yemi Mobolade get elected, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Derrick Bernard Jr., 35, Ashley Blackcloud, 40, and Deanna West, 38 were indicted in early November on federal charges of conveying false information about a threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday. The charges were initially kept secret and were unsealed Tuesday, court records show.
Federal prosecutors say all three supporters worked together to spray-paint a racist slur aimed at Black people on a campaign sign for Mobolade on April 23, 2023, during the city’s mayoral runoff election campaign. The trio also set up a white cross, then lit the cross on fire and took a photograph and four-second video of the scene, the federal indictment alleges.
The group set up the fake scene at the intersection of North Union Boulevard and East Fillmore Street between 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., according to the indictment.
After staging the scene, the trio created an anonymous email account and used Wi-Fi in public places to email the video and image to local news outlets. Some outlets published news stories based on the material.
After sending the information to media, Bernard monitored the news and messaged Blackcloud a link to a local news story about the racist scene, commenting to her, “We got traction,” the indictment alleges.
Mobolade at the time cautioned that his team did not know whether the photo “is of real events or if (it) was staged/created,” according to reporting at the time by KRDO. A city spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday but said Mobolade would make a statement later in the day.
Judge HayDen W. Kane II swears in incoming mayor Yemi Mobolade as his wife, Abbey Mobolade, stands beside him Tuesday, June 6, 2023, during the Mayoral Swearing-in Ceremony outside the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo. Mobolade is the 42nd mayor and first Black elected mayor in Colorado Springs. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)
The staged scene prompted an investigation by the Colorado Springs Police Department and the FBI.
At least one of the three supporters interacted with Mobolade several times, the federal indictment alleges.
Bernard sent a message to Mobolade on Facebook 10 days before the staged racist event and pledged his support, telling the then-candidate that there was “a plot” underway “for the final push” in the mayoral race, according to the indictment.
“The klan cannot be allowed to run this city again,” Bernard wrote, according to the indictment.
Then, on the day of the cross burning, Bernard texted the mayor at about 7:30 p.m. and said, “I guarantee the finish.” Three days after the staged event, Bernard and the mayor spoke on the phone for five minutes, the indictment says. The document does not say what the two discussed.
Mobolade won the runoff mayoral election on May 16.
On the same day, Bernard texted Blackcloud and encouraged her to apply for jobs with the city of Colorado Springs, saying, “I want favors quicker than later,” the indictment alleges.
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In a separate criminal case, Bernard was convicted of first-degree murder on Nov. 7 for ordering a 2019 killing, according to court records and reporting by the Colorado Springs Gazette. Bernard was at the time in prison on weapons convictions, and was recorded coordinating the 2019 killing on prison calls, the Gazette reported.
He represented himself during his jury trial this month and was convicted just 48 hours after his trial started, the Gazette reported.
Bernard was sentenced to life in prison on the murder conviction, court records show. He will be transported from state to federal custody to face the election hoax charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Blackcloud has also been arrested on the federal charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. West is considered a fugitive.
Blackcloud’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.