Racist Snapchat conversation emerges between members of Blugold football team
Dennis Beale, the founder of Black Male Empowerment, says he is ‘appalled’ by the interactions between student football players on social media
Photo by Submitted
This image of a Snapchat group chat depicts a racist interaction between UW-Eau Claire football players that was released in November 2019.
On Tuesday, members of UW-Eau Claire’s Black Male Empowerment organization released images of a Snapchat message chain featuring members of the Blugold football team mocking the BME using racially-charged imagery and references.
Anthony Rauch, a third-year student, allegedly sent a photo of a burning cross and members of the Ku Klux Klan to the chat with the caption:
“For all who can’t make the BME meeting, Bryson and I are holding WME (White Male Empowerment) tonight at 7.”
The photo indicates Conrad Bolz, a third-year student; Jeremiah Crisostomo; Oscar Gonzalez, a third-year student and Jack Drake, a third-year student followed with additional comments.
“Bryson is the grand wizard,” Drake said.
A grand wizard is a title given to a national leader of the KKK.
“I’ll be there like 5 mins late,” Bolz said in a response. “Think the cross will still be burning? Don’t want to miss that again.”
Crisostomo then contributed to the chain by asking why they were “wasting wood” burning a cross. Gonzalez then said the group should burn a person who doesn’t share their views or who “looks a little different.”
After the message chain was shared on Facebook and Twitter, Dennis Beale, the founder of BME, addressed the issue via the BME Facebook page.
“I am appalled about what I have seen on social media,” Beale said. “This group was designed to help change the perception of African American Males on a predominantly white campus. Along with exemplifying the black excellence that these young men display on a daily basis. It is very disturbing to see the backlash we get from the people in our own backyard.”
Shortly after the message chain was shared, Chancellor James C. Schmidt addressed the issue in a statement that was released across media platforms.
“Our campus will not tolerate this racist action,” Schmidt said. “I have asked the Dean of Students Office to investigate and take appropriate action.”
More updates to follow.
Fuerstenberg can be reached at [email protected].
Madeline Fuerstenberg is a fourth-year journalism student. This is her eighth semester on The Spectator staff and she’ll miss it with all her heart once she graduates (if she graduates).
DP • Nov 25, 2019 at 5:26 am
Understandably distasteful see a 1939 picture of a cross burning and klansmen standing in the background would and should anger people. But read the entire private thread.
They weren’t targeting the BME group they were in fact making fun of a fictional WME group and although very distasteful these students didn’t target individual, didn’t target a group. It was on a private chat line and regardless of how some may think there are 1st amendment issues here that come into play as they are protected.
These comments were not made on campus they were taken without authorization and put out on a social media by others who could be liable for the that in itself.
The fact that you have the majority of the individuals commenting on the thread as minorities should also tip people off that this was more satire of a fictional group then a case of racism. Considering one of those individual at the time was a current member of BME.
One individual named in the Spectator and called out in one of his classes the day after this showed up on social media by others was mentioned by name by others, never posted anything but yet had his privacy violated by some who got ahold of a picture of him from when he was 13 or 14 years old (a minor) and ran with it saying he’s a blackface when in fact he was dressing up as Michael Jordan for Halloween.
This should show that facts and finding out the truth about something can get out of hand, and if you don’t think that these young men have faced terrible consequences already then maybe you should have your heads examined. Being completely humiliated, labeled as something they are in fact not, being named in the paper with little facts the paper ran with a story without finding out the true story. Let’s just try an push a narrative right or wrong.
1 – African American Minority
2 – Hispanic American Minorities
2 – Caucasians
All Americans, all brothers in school, outside of school, and on the football field being labeled as racists. Come on really. Again the picture depicted was distasteful but these young men are not racists and should not be expelled from school. Spectator shame on you for not telling the full story and running with a narrative that’s the problem with the media in today’s world.
Molly • Nov 24, 2019 at 7:43 am
I’m horrified by this! Its 2019 and we still have college students in this country with this attitude?! I’m a mother of 16 adopted children, none of whom are caucasion…… how incredibly discouraging it is to STILL be seeing these attitudes…… what is it going to take for people to see the ugliness of racism….. what I’d it going to take???
DG Mitchell • Nov 24, 2019 at 7:31 am
AND NOW COMES THE TRUTH: There is absolutely no threat to anyone of any bodily harm, at all, because this was no more than a very obviously satirical parody of a non-existent meeting of a non-existent radical WME group, and it was only in a private Snapchat group between best friends who live, eat, play, study and practice together, and who fought hard for each other every Saturday! To say otherwise is to imagine something that simply is not there. These are good young men from good families, and not only that, but THREE OF THE FIVE targeted kids are of Hispanic or African American descent, and two of them were actually affiliated with BME! You never heard that fact because it doesn’t fit the false narrative. Nobody threatened, nobody attacked nor targeted, no racism, none at all just a stupid-silly parody. The truth is, there was no argument or malice around the original private satirical parody, and it had actually been smirked at and forgotten for several weeks. Meanwhile, BME was planning that “First Informational Meeting” for November 20 and there just wasn’t much interest at all. So on the 19th, a former BME member accessed the private chat and without any authorization from his five targets, allowed a current BME member to photograph his phone. Go look at the post — Obviously unauthorized, looks like an Ad for BME with the added Twitter commentary. Actually, the previous post in that private group was a BROCHURE FOR THE BME MEETING! Then BME twisted this harmless private chat into a big false-flag narrative trying to hype it up as part of a publicity stunt to finally get some people interested in coming to their meeting the next day! Why? Because BME had fallen from its peak of about 16 members, down to 7 executive board and just TWO regular members as of 11-19-2019. And for each new member their sensational scheme generated they would get either $250 up front plus $10 per month, or $40 per month. Now just maybe they didn’t think it would be so bad posting that on Twitter and Facebook and calling the News media, but it blew up on them and maybe they just got caught up in their newfound fame after trying so hard for so long to get ANYONE to join BME, which was actually a pretty cool group once, founded with love and beautiful purpose, dedicated to brothers helping brothers rise up. It’s sad to think that anyone in that group would viciously backstab their good friends for a few pieces of silver but that sure does fit the facts. Truth is like that. They gave newspaper inteviews, invited reporters to their meeting, even smeared their poor buddies on CNN. Oh, and the “blackface” picture there, once again accusing racism, and falsely claiming the involvement of Bryson when the truth is he actually did NOTHING and was NOT suspended — The false narrative photo you see is a THIRTEEN_YEAR_OLD boy dressed not as OJ, but as Michael Jordan, years ago, getting ready to go trick-or-treating with his 8th-grade buddies! “Be like Mike,” remember that? I wonder how much the jury will award for that bit of journalistic lunacy? Oh and of course, there’s more TRUTH on the way, so stay tuned folks!
Ka Vue • Nov 23, 2019 at 1:13 pm
Expel them.
Melissa Hibbard • Nov 22, 2019 at 11:53 am
Jack Schafer-
Let me clue you in:
1. You can say whatever you want and no one can stop you; however, you cannot expect NOT to face consequences if they are viewed as a threat, whether the writer intends to act on speech or not.
2. There can be no expectation of privacy when you post to social media. You never know who it is going to get forwarded to, or what potential future employer will get wind of this. If you want a conversation kept private talk to yourself in a mirror and stay off social media.
3. The original poster made a conscious effort to make fun of a student group, find a KKK picture, and upload it. He then engaged several others in his “harmless” plot. They are allegedly adults and knew what they were doing, what message they were sending, and that this is racism. For some, this isn’t a one time incident. Dressing up in blackface? Congratulations, guys, the joke bombed big time.
4. The kids lives will not be ruined if they take the deservef consequences and learn from it. Get suspended? Take it like men. Better live and learn while they still can. Better learn it in school than in an HR office and facing termination.
Jack Schafer • Nov 21, 2019 at 9:53 pm
This is bs it was a private group chat. They can say what ever they want. About any subject. Ruining these kids life over something like this is incredibly stupid.
Fred Davis • Nov 20, 2019 at 4:31 pm
They need to go! Anyone who is involved, should be banned from the campus. As a parent of a student that “looks a little different ” this is unacceptable. We are spending our hard earned money for this? It’s just unacceptable.
Em Dee • Nov 20, 2019 at 2:42 pm
I am gravely disappointed in the behavior displayed by these students. My child attends this school and will be transferring if they are not expelled. The threat of bodily harm is nothing to toy around with and my child having to walk around campus in fear is unacceptable. Revoking football privileges is not enough.