District Attorney Sullivan issues statement addressing racist emails received at UMass

Late yesterday, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office received word from University of Massachusetts officials that a racist, hate-filled, and misinformation-laden email was received by four Black student groups as well as individual Black students and a UMass office. This email was similar in tone to one sent out last semester, but this one also contained mistruths about law enforcement’s role in the investigation that I seek to correct now.

The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, along with its law enforcement partners, approaches this investigation with the utmost seriousness, care and attention. Free speech is rightly held dear in this country, but it does not permit hate speech that threatens and intimidates in a way that interferes with a right to education.

The provocative and inflammatory email sent out yesterday to a select group at UMass is an attempt to sow discord and division within the UMass Amherst community. Unfortunately, currently in our country there is an effort to use misinformation as a weapon to provoke fear and mistrust. I believe the UMass community is far stronger and smarter than the writers of this email seem to think. The NWDA is an active partner with the UMass Police Department on this investigation, which has been, and will continue to be, comprehensive and thorough as we follow the facts wherever they lead.

Like Chancellor Subbaswamy, I stand in solidarity with people of color who are targets of this hate campaign.