A 19-year-old black student at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina, was arrested after allegedly posting a fake racist fraternity party invite, which read, “No blacks.” The arrest comes after another student was accused of posting the invite — an accusation the student said resulted in him receiving death threats.
Greenville Police arrested student James Edwards IV on a charge of cyberstalking, which cleared the name of another student who was initially accused of posting the racist invite, according to a report by WITN-TV.
Police reportedly began investigating in August, after a Theta Chi rush party invite that specified “No blacks” was posted on Yik Yak — an app that allows users to post anonymous comments, which are then able to be viewed by anyone on the app within a 5-mile radius of the poster.
Attached to the post, however, was the name and phone number of ECU Theta Chi chapter member Austin Hunter.
“It’s caused a lot of stress and anxiety,” Hunter said. “To be accused of something that I didn’t do, that really sucks. My name and number were posted in the college newspaper, and I was being harassed with calls and texts and I even received death threats.”
ECU student arrested for fake racist fraternity party invite https://t.co/B6lcb2D6IA pic.twitter.com/5XurCGLxgr
— WITN Headlines (@WITN) October 4, 2021
Investigators said they determined that Edwards has no affiliation with Theta Chi, but that he is a member of ECU’s Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.
Greenville Police spokesperson Kristen Hunter told WITN that the department worked closely with Yik Yak to find out who actually posted the racist invite, and warned those who engage in anonymous posting that they may not stay anonymous if their posts are malicious.
“If you have any type of social media app, there is a digital footprint,” Kristen Hunter said. “There is a way to track this type of activity and behavior. So, I would certainly caution anybody that’s looking to utilize anonymous apps that we can find you.”
ECU Director of Student Engagement John Mountz told WITN, “We are aware of the arrest by Greenville Police of an ECU student related to a racist Yik Yak post earlier this semester.”
“We appreciate the efforts of the Greenville Police to identify the individual who made the post and to clear the name of the student and the Theta Chi fraternity listed in the original post,” Mountz added. “We will continue to work with our students and campus to build a welcoming and inclusive community for all.”
According to a previous WITN report, ECU said Edwards’ intended major is political science.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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