Crest, University of Windsor, June 26, 2019. Blackburn News file photo.Crest, University of Windsor, June 26, 2019. Blackburn News file photo.
Windsor

U of W group reports arrest after threatening messages sent

A group at the University of Windsor claims an arrest has been made in connection to a series of threatening emails sent to faculty and students following the expulsion of the Delta Chi fraternity.

The university launched an investigation into alleged "disturbing" Facebook chat messages involving members of the fraternity back in November. The messages were exchanged five years ago, but the messages to Black law students, professors, and student groups are recent.

Expose UWindsor posted on its Facebook page they were informed of the arrest after forwarding the racially-charged messages to the Windsor Police Service.

"Over the past several weeks, members of our team worked hard to track down the IP addresses of the users behind the messages," read the post. The group said those IP addresses were passed along to the Windsor Police Criminal Intelligence Unit.

Windsor Police will not publicly discuss the arrest at the moment.

"Generally we do not confirm or deny active investigations," wrote Constable Darius Goze in an email to BlackburnNews.com. "For this reason, we can not release any information in relation to this matter at this time."

Although the Facebook post names the accused, BlackburnNews.com will not release the name because police have not yet confirmed the arrest. However, a spokesperson with Expose UWindsor told Blackburn News that it was a person they had suspected all along.

"It was mostly due to the confirmation that it was the exact person that we thought it was," said the spokesperson, who has asked not to be identified out of concern for personal safety. "There are other people who were sending death threats, but we're essentially relying on the police to confirm it a hundred percent."

The messages are disturbing.

One read, "Your coloured privileges have run rampant for too long and I can't wait to put a stop to it."

Another read, "Blacks and coloured are NOT safe on campus and won't be, when will you understand. Expect me later today."

When asked if the naming of the suspect may make the Black community more of a target, the Expose UWindsor spokesperson said they did not believe so.

"We look at it like we're protecting the Black students from getting hurt, right?" they said. "At the end of the day, the more the police arrest these people, the more bad guys are off the street."

The fraternity did not have a formal relationship with the university, and in December, Delta Chi headquarters said it shut down its operations in Windsor and suspended the members.

Also in December, Expose UWindsor posted a letter from Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission to the presidents of public colleges and universities urging them to take greater action to ensure a safe and equitable environment on their campuses.

"Beyond an obligation to refrain from Code violations, human rights responsibilities also entails positive obligations, such as implementing robust policies, protocols, and complaint mechanisms to ensure human rights are fully recognized and respected," wrote Ena Chadha.

The University of Windsor said it would provide updates on its investigation into the Delta Chi messages in November, but so far has not issued any statements.

---with files from Mark Brown

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