Black Caucus preservation of crucial evidence lauded by police
Image: Pat Mansell
February 03, 2021
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The investigation of the “Zoom-bombing” that occurred Jan. 27 during a Black Caucus portion of Penn State’s Spring Virtual Student Involvement Fair is ongoing. University Police has been consulting with internal and external resources, including the Office of Information Security, FBI and the Centre County District Attorney’s Office. Ethnic intimidation, harassment, disorderly conduct and unlawful use of a computer are some of the criminal charges that individuals who are identified could face.
Investigations that involve digital forensic evidence can be lengthy, but police want the community to know that they are actively investigating this crime with the full resources of University Police and Public Safety (UPPS). Unfortunately, this Zoom attack on underrepresented communities is one among a number of similar incidents targeting universities across
Penn State University Police and Public Safety
issued a statement Wednesday providing a brief update on its investigation into alleged hate speech directed at the university’s Black Caucus last week.
Penn State said it’s consulted with a combination of internal and external resources in the investigation, including the Office of Information Security, FBI, Centre County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the department’s statement, charges of ethnic intimidation, harassment, disorderly conduct, and unlawful use of a computer could be filed against the 51 unauthorized users who allegedly crashed the Black Caucus’s Involvement Fair Zoom room on Wednesday, January 27. Those individuals reportedly directed “racist and homophobic slurs” at three Black Caucus executives and sent anti-Semitic and white supremacist language and symbols in that chat.