Posted on 01/16/2026 7:22:45 PM PST by CFW
Judge Regina M. Rodriguez (D. Colo.) decided yesterday in U.S. v. Blackcloud; for more on the case, see this November 2024 press release by the U.S. Attorney's office in Colorado:
The U.S.Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces that Derrick Bernard Jr., 35, [Ashley] Blackcloud, 40, and Deanna West,38, were indicted by a federal grand jury for maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire: a burning cross in front of a campaign sign defaced with a racial slur.
According to the indictment, the three defendants were charged for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to spread disinformation about the threat. The 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral run-off election involved Candidate 1, who was Black, and Candidate 2, who was white. After the initial election but before the run-off, Bernard sent a message to the other defendants in which he explained he was "mobilizing my squad in defense. Black ops style big brother." He also sent messages referencing a desire to prevent "the klan" from gaining political control of the city. Bernard then worked [... ] a cross burning in front of a campaign sign for Candidate 1 defaced with a racial slur. The three then allegedly spread false information about the event through an email from an anonymous source to various news and civic organizations.
And from the indictment:
[ ] supporters of CANDIDATE 1 placed a campaign sign encouraging others to vote for CANDIDATE 1 in a grassy area on the northwest corner of the intersection...... together to place a wooden cross in front of that campaign sign. Red spray paint, similar in kind to a can later found in the passenger compartment of BLACKCLOUD's car, was used to write the word "ni**er" on the sign. The wooden cross was then set on fire…
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
I'm glad to hear someone was finally sentence to prison for a hate crime hoax.
Here is the press release from this week.
I think the candidate favored by the hoaxers won the runoff.
I think the candidate favored by the hoaxers won the runoff.
It’s Colorado so I’m not surprised. It’s a shame what has happened to the lovely, formerly conservative, state.
Where are we at now, at about 0.45% actual hate crimes and about 99.55% fake ones?
they were the first to legalize pot and a bunch of loonies moved there to indulge ...
Two of the criminals plus the mayor on the right I think 🤔🤔🤔
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_0YXHaFIV2U/sddefault.jpg
Not sure of the exact count, but it is plain that the demand for white supremacists greatly exceeds the supply.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
