The first Black chair of Iowa’s Democratic Party, Ross Wilburn, has recently ramped up his security after receiving hatred messages from Trump supporters, including lynching threats after writing an op-ed about the former president.
Wilburn told the Des Moines Register that after he published an essay titled “Iowa Republicans put loyalty to Trump over helping Iowans,” he received two threatening phone messages along with an email referencing the piece.
“The voicemails include very explicit language. Every other word was the ‘n-word,’” he said.
Wilburn cannot share the details of the phone messages due to an ongoing investigation but said he was compelled to report the harassment due to their explicit content and threats.
“What stood out this time was the language that was used — specifically, the very direct statement about lynching,” he said. “And I get angry about that — that people feel that they can come in and make you feel less than human, subhuman, with that type of reference to lynching. There’s the history behind that and trying to intimidate Blacks, intimidate African Americans.”
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Wilburn said he plans to press charges if and when the people responsible are found “so that folks know that there are consequences for that type of behavior.”
The chairman also said that besides amping up his security, his main reason for filing the report of the threats is to set an example for others.
“I’m concerned about this type of escalation of comments, including violent references, that are happening, even down to some of the school board meetings and elections that are coming up,” he said. “… If anyone’s ever subject to these types of threatening actions, I encourage them to don’t just sit by and take it. Report it.”
Wilburn said that racism isn’t always as overt as a lynching threat, but he hopes Iowans will notice that it still exists.
“I just hate to see that type of hate existing in the country, and particularly here in Iowa,” he said.
Wilburn noted that he believes that Trump has escalated the force behind political tensions.
