HBCUs Across the U.S. Targeted by Threats, Prompting Lockdowns and Heightened Security
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – A wave of reported threats targeting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the United States on Thursday triggered lockdown orders, class cancellations, and increased security measures. While authorities have not detailed the nature of the threats, no injuries have been reported. The FBI is investigating the incidents, characterizing them as “hoax threat calls” but stating there is currently “no details to indicate a credible threat.”
Several institutions were directly impacted. Southern University in Louisiana, with an enrollment of approximately 8,200 students, initiated a lockdown for about an hour following a reported ”potential threat to campus safety.” Alabama State University, serving around 3,500 students near Montgomery, ordered students to shelter-in-place while police conducted building-by-building searches. The “all-clear” was given approximately two hours later, though students were asked to remain in their dorms and classes were cancelled for the remainder of the day.
Other HBCUs reporting threats included Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, Virginia state University, Hampton University in Virginia, and Bethune-Cookman University in Florida.
The incidents occurred amidst a period of heightened anxiety regarding school safety, following a shooting at a Colorado high school and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley university. Don Beeler, CEO of TDR Technology Solutions, which tracks “swatting” incidents (false reports of emergencies), noted that such incidents often increase after violent events, leading to increased caution from schools. he predicted a stronger reaction to potential threats in the coming week than is typically observed.
In response to the threats, even institutions that did not receive direct warnings increased security. South Carolina State University began requiring photo identification for anyone entering its Orangeburg campus. Spelman College in Atlanta, located near a university that did receive a threat, issued a lockdown and enhanced security protocols.
This isn’t the first time HBCUs have been targeted. At the beginning of the school year, at least a dozen college campuses received similar hoax calls reporting active shooters, some including realistic sounds of gunfire, prompting lockdowns and “run, hide, fight” directives.
U.S. Rep.Troy Carter, a louisiana Democrat, condemned the threats as “reprehensible attacks,” emphasizing that any threat against HBCUs is “a threat against us all” and demanding “swift and decisive action.”
(AP Photo/Jeff Martin – showing people outside a library near the university, Tuesday night, and then escaped in the chaos, authorities said.)
