A student at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee has confessed to fabricating racist messages found on campus over the Thanksgiving break. The messages, which included racial slurs and the phrase "Trump Rules," were initially investigated as a hate crime, sparking outrage and concern within the college community. The student's apparent intention was to falsely implicate supporters of Donald Trump.
The college released a statement confirming the student's admission of guilt, stating that the incident was "fabricated" and caused "enormous pain" to the community. They are now pursuing appropriate disciplinary and legal actions against the student.
The messages were discovered near the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plaza, a space honoring the school's nine historically Black Greek organizations. According to local news reports, the messages were written on 13 pieces of paper and included highly offensive language. Students who spoke to local media expressed their distress and disapproval of the hateful content.
Following the discovery, the college's Campus Safety and Institutional Equity offices launched an investigation and issued a "Timely Warning" to students. The initial statement from the college emphasized their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and respect, and their zero-tolerance policy towards hate speech. This incident follows a pattern of similar hoaxes designed to fuel racial tensions.
