After several city officials said there would be no further comment from the City or mayor on the alleged 2023 hate crime hoax at this time, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade put out a new statement on Nov. 27. An indictment says three supporters of then-candidate Mobolade wrote a slur on a campaign sign of Mobolade’s and lit a cross on fire in front of it and then sent footage to local media outlets.
“My family and I are victims of a hate crime, allegedly committed by three suspects against our city. I had no knowledge, warning, or involvement in this reprehensible act,” Mobolade said in the statement.
“It is unfortunately not a new trend that politically motivated websites will weigh in with no regard for accuracy or truth, and interest only in sensationalism and scandal,” he continued. “I fully cooperated in the investigation, and it is important that the judicial process is followed to allow for a successful prosecution that brings justice for our community.”
The new statement came after City Council member Dave Donelson asked the mayor to respond to claims made in a report by the Daily Wire, which cited an anonymous “FBI official” as saying that Mobolade had initially denied contact with the suspects in that case, though the FBI already knew he was in contact. The Daily Wire anonymous source alleges that the FBI wanted charges brought against Mobolade for making false statements, but that the DOJ declined because it did not want to indict the first elected Black mayor of Colorado Springs, and instead offered Mobolade another interview in which he answered that he did not recall rather than denying contact. No evidence for the claim of false statements or sought charges is given in the Daily Wire article beyond the words of the anonymous official.
The hate crime hoax indictment provides a timeline of communications between Mobolade and suspect Derrick Patrick Bernard, Jr., who was recently convicted of murder in an unrelated case. The indictment includes messages from Bernard to Mobolade such as this one from 10 days before the alleged hoax: “I know it’s crunch time sir but look … I spoke with some of my friends in other places and theirs [sic] a plot amidst … I’m mobilizing my squadron in defense and for the final push. Black ops style big brother. The klan cannot be allowed to run this city again.”
The mayor has indicated that he will take questions and make additional statements when the case is closed. – Vanessa Zink
Another text from just after Mobolade’s election says, “Well done again … I have the info you requested before. Another time though, we’ll handle business.”
Also in the indictment is that shortly after the election Bernard messaged his alleged hoax co-conspirator a link to jobs with the City of Colorado Springs and alluded to “favors” he wanted “quicker than later.”
Fox 31 published a piece the day after the alleged hoax that quoted Rashad Younger with the Rocky Mountain NAACP as saying Mobolade’s campaign team thought it was a hoax. [For more info see “Hate crime hoax suspect and mayor communicated” at PikesPeakBulletin.org and in our Nov. 29 edition – ed.]
The Bulletin reached out to the mayor’s office on Dec. 4 seeking clarification as to the mayor’s plans to answer questions about the case.
“The mayor has indicated that he will take questions and make additional statements when the case is closed, said spokesperson Vanessa Zink.
Family Flavors the Slide 2023 YouTube video titled ‘dear yemi’
The three suspects in the alleged hate crime hoax are associated with a nonprofit called Family Flavors The Slide WBN which marketed itself as a minority-owned independent broadcasting and multimedia organization.
A video on the organization’s YouTube channel, titled “dear yemi” and dated Aug. 31, 2023, is a 7.5-minute address directly to Mobolade.
The video opens with text reading, “Dear Yemi, Do the right thing…” and then cuts to clips including footage of Mobolade and flyers for events featuring Mobolade.
“First and foremost, I want to say that it’s with the deepest regret that I have to address you with the following, when we referred to each other as brothers not so long ago,” a male voiceover says. The voice appears to be that of Bernard.
The video voiceover accuses Mobolade of participating in police and court corruption, specifically Family Favors the Slide being implicated in the “hate crime” (which the voiceover claims was actually committed by CSPD) and Bernard’s ongoing legal troubles. The video is hashtagged #FreeTheBird which is the tag used on social media for posts saying Bernard (aka Phoenixx Ugrilla) was framed as ordering the murder of William Underwood, aka FYL Jackk due to reporting on illegal police actions. Bernard was convicted of this in November. It also criticizes Mobolade’s promotion of the police training center and claims Mobolade is a closeted member of the LGBTQ+ community.
No evidence is given in the video to back any of the claims.
