Activist facing charges after making threats against black students

A 24-year-old New Jersey woman has been charged with making fake threats against black students at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, last month, CBS New York reports.

According to the Union County prosecutor’s office, Kayla-Simone McKelvey, a former Kean student who is black, participated in a rally on racial issues earlier this month, then went to a computer station in a campus library and posted anonymous threats against black students on Twitter.

Afterward, she returned to the rally and tried to raise awareness of the threats she tweeted, which spoke of a bomb on campus and shooting black students.

“We are saddened to learn that the person allegedly responsible was an active participant in the rally that took place on campus on Tuesday, November 17, and is a former student of Kean,” university President Dawood Farahi said in a statement to students. “As a diverse academic community, we wholeheartedly respect and support activism, however, no cause or issue gives anyone the right to threaten the safety of others. We hope this information will begin to bring a sense of relief and security to the campus community.”

McKelvey faces one count of creative a false public alarm. Although it isn’t immediately clear if she has retained an attorney, McKelvey is scheduled to make a court appearance in two weeks.

Contact Caitlin Lilly at clilly@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @caitiesmith