A Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department investigation into into apparent racially-motivated hate crimes at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has determined one incident was a student hoax.
On Wednesday, a UW-Parkside student reported she found a noose in her university residence hall to housing personnel, who notified police. Early Thursday morning, the person who reported the incident received a threatening note, UW-Parkside police officer Dave Buchanan said.
Buchanan said the written threats were in the form of a racially-charged hit list, and police were treating the incident as a hate crime because the students involved were black. The nooses in question were made from rubber bands and plastic strings.
The investigation led detectives to question a female student about the threats. On Friday the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department confronted the suspect, who was listed on the hit list.
According to a statement released Friday by the Sheriff’s Department, the suspect confessed she had made the hit list and other printed materials because she was not satisfied with the initial response from a resident assistant when shown the rubber band noose.
The statement added the suspect wanted greater attention paid to this issue.
“Once we have a chance to put everything together and discuss this case with the DA’s office we will file charges,” Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said in the statement. “Too many people were frightened and upset to let this case go without charges being filed.”
Kenosha detectives are continuing to investigate whether others were involved in making the noose or the threatening written material, Beth added in the statement. No one is in custody at this time.
UW-Parkside police are now protecting the perpetrator and withholding the name of the woman involved. There is no danger to UW-Parkside students due to this threat, Beth said in the statement.
“Obviously, a high volume of emotions were generated over the last 24 hours,” the statement said. “Those emotions need to air out and not become focused on an individual.”
In response to the incident, UW-Parkside Chancellor Debbie Ford held several forums with students. In a Thursday event on campus, which filled the student cinema to capacity, Ford said the university would not tolerate hate.
According to John Mielke, a UW-Parkside spokesperson, the main focus of the campus is the safety and well-being of students. He added the response from students has been positive under the circumstances, with many saying they would not tolerate the behavior.
Buchanan said a number of students who were named on the hit list left campus, but are still remaining in school.
UW-Parkside police increased patrols with officers working 12- to 16-hour shifts, assisted by police from UW-Milwaukee.
“If an arrest is made, this will not be the end of the story,” Buchanan said. “We are going to learn from this, and we are going to become a better university as a result. That’s going to be the positive thing that comes out of all this.”
