The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Racist hacker crashes meetings
NEWTOWN — A racist hacker broke into separate Zoom meetings at the high school and at the town library last week, using the n-word and other hate speech that was similar to the attack on U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes in Newtown earlier this month.
“Incidents like these are not only disruptive but highly offensive to students and staff,” wrote Newtown Superintendent Lorrie Rodrigue in a letter to school parents on Saturday. “These unfortunate acts are simply not acceptable and do not represent the many students, staff, and community members who believe in respect, tolerance, inclusion, and caring about others.”
The racist Zoom bombing of a virtual assembly of high school freshmen and their advisers, and a separate racist Zoom bombing of a virtual meeting of the Newtown Non-Profit Council last week follow the Oct. 12 racist attack on a Zoom call between Hayes and Newtown voters.
That mid-October attack made national headlines, not only because Hayes is the first Black congresswoman to represent Connecticut, but because Hayes called out the “vile disgusting … deplorable hate” in a spirited personal essay called “I Am Not Ok.”
“The only way we can cut the cancer of racism out of our communities is by calling it out when we see it and raising our collective voices to get rid of it,” Hayes wrote after the attack in Newtown.
The attack on Hayes, which involved multiple Zoom bombers in an apparent coordinated hack, is being investigated along with the two new racist attacks, Newtown police Chief James Viadero said on Monday.
“We have assigned this to our detective division, and we are working with the state’s attorney to identify the individual,” Viadero said. “Right now, we are in the preliminary stage of the investigation and to comment on it any more would be premature.”
Newtown’s town’s top elected official said it was not helpful to speculate whether the Zoom bomber was local.
“Racism has no place anywhere,” First Selectman
Dan Rosenthal said. “I’m outraged. I think it’s disgusting and cowardly.”
Details about the incidents last week were not immediately available.
Helen Brickfield, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Newtown, would only say that details of the Zoom meeting that was hacked on Oct. 22 have been turned over to police.
Rodrigue, in her letter to parents did not go into detail about the attack on the virtual assembly of the class of 2024.
“[A]n anonymous individual …repeatedly used the “N” word and other racial slurs,” Rodrigue wrote. “This is not one isolated situation in our district as other concerns have been brought forward in recent weeks.”
Rodrigue did go into detail about what the district is doing to “stand up to racism, harassment, and bullying.”
“We take these incidents seriously and condemn these acts as counter to our beliefs and values as a school community,” Rodrigue wrote.
Racism has been a national flashpoint since the public slaying in May of an unarmed Black man in police custody in Minneapolis.
Rodrigue said that under the guidance of a diversity and equity resolution recently approved by the school board, administrators are working to:
Establish a system that “records and reports incidents of racism occurring within the schools and holds all staff and students accountable for their actions.”
Create ways to allow students and staff to share “sensitive or confidential information that will help in the investigation of acts of bullying, harassment, and racism.”
Promote social and emotional learning programs so students feel safe.
Provide staff training aimed at “maintaining a safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environment for all students, including students of color.”
On Nov. 3, when many in Newtown and across the country will be at the polls to vote, Newtown faculty will be in professional development training about “diversity and the nature of racial discourse,” Rodrigue said.