Eddie Curlin
Eddie Curlin
Eddie Curlin is a former student of Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In October, 2017 he became infamous after spray painting racist graffiti targeting African Americans on the EMU campus. [0]
Education
Eddie Curlin studied at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) from 2014 to early 2016, but and was not a student at the time the incidents took place last fall and spring. [0]
Racist Graffiti
Racist message Eddie spray painted on the EMU campus in September, 2016
WXYZ-TV: EMU on edge over racist messages (September 22, 2016)
Throughout 2017 Eddie Curlin spray painted hate speech and racist messages targeted toward the African American community at Eastern Michigan University. [0]
In September, 2016 Eddie Curlin spray painted a wall in inside the courtyard of Julia Anne King Hall at Eastern Michigan University. He spray painted "KKK" in red, white and blue spray paint, as well as "Leave Niggers." The racist graffiti was discovered by the university on September 20, 2016 and later removed. On the same day Black Lives Matter organized a protest which was attended by around 100 students and activists on Washtenaw Avenue in Ypsilanti, Michigan with the slogan, "No justice, no peace." EMU President James Smith also condemned the racial slur in a statement Tuesday and vowed to hold those behind the words responsible. [2] [1]
In October, 2016 Eddie spray painted a second racist message on a the east outside wall of Ford Hall on the EMU campus.
The message read“Leave Niggers” was 5-feet-wide and scrawled in black lettering on two lines.
The message was discovered by the university on October 31, 2016.
He also spray painted a racist message in a men's restroom stall in Sherzer Hall during the spring of 2017.
Investigation
During the investigation the Eastern Michigan University Police Department committed more than 1,080 hours, equivalent to 135 full-time, eight-hour days, in the investigation into identifying the criminal or criminals responsible for the incidents.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Michigan State Police were also involved in the investigation. [0] [4]
The EMU Police interviewed more than 60 people during the investigation and a reward of $10,000 was offered.
More than 1,200 hours of video from more than 100 campus cameras was reviewed, as well as video from nearby businesses.
In addition, nearly 20 search warrants were executed; a large number of pieces of evidence have been processed and analyzed; and, data from numerous cellphones was evaluated. [0]
Arrest
EMU Officials Discuss Arrest Of Vandalism Subject
On October 23, 2017 Eddie Curlin was arraigned in Washtenaw County District Court on three counts of malicious destruction of property, four counts of identity theft and one count of using computers to commit a crime for his role in three racist incidents. [0]
At the time of his arraignment Eddie Curlin was already serving a 1- to 5-year sentence on an unrelated charge of receiving and concealing stolen property.
He was sentenced in that case in August.