Remember when E. Michigan University erupted In protest over racist graffiti? Was a hoax

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In September, Eastern Michigan University erupted in protests after racist graffiti — red, white, and blue spray-painted "KKK" and "leave n*****s" — was discovered on school property on three different occasions.

According to university police, the racist incidents appear to have been a hoax, allegedly perpetrated by a 29-year-old black man named Eddie Curlin.

On Monday, Curlin, a former EMU student, 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, according to MLive.com.

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The first apparently-staged incident was committed at the end of September in the Julia Anne King Hall courtyard. In red, white, and blue colors, "KKK" and "leave n*****s" was spray-painted on a wall.

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In October, "leave n*****s" was again found on school property, this time in Ford Hall. The last incident was reportedly found in an EMU men's restroom.

Protests instantly erupted over the incidents, gaining national attention and building a post-Trump racism-in-America narrative.

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Students responded to the incidents last fall and winter by protesting, including marching through the street to Smith's home following the incident in September 2016 and a sit-in at the EMU student center in November, in which many students stayed inside the building past hours of operation.

EMU students also protested the incidents during a football game last fall inside Rynearson Stadium, when they entered the field of play following the Eagles' win over Wyoming.

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RIGHT NOW: members of our BSU join Eastern Michigan Michigan University to protest racist graffiti. "No Justice, No Peace!"

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Over the past year, the Eastern Michigan University Police Department has 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.

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More than 60 people have been interviewed 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 have been executed; a large number of pieces of evidence have been processed and analyzed; and, data from numerous cellphones have been evaluated.

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