Photo: City of Waterloo, Black Hawk County
An Iowa man has been arrested after he allegedly targeted and harassed two Black elected officials.
On Thursday (April 18), Tyler Young was arrested on several misdemeanor harassment charges over alleged racist text messages he sent to Tavis Hall, a Black Hawk County Supervisor, and Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart, per Black Enterprise.
Hall said the alleged harassment started after someone poured a corrosive acid on his work truck.
“I could’ve been walking out to the truck, and if (that person) was there, would that have been thrown at me?” Hall said. “All of these questions and constant fear -– that should not be the price of serving in public office.”
Hart and Hall said they received several threatening text messages that included racial and homophobic slurs. One message allegedly read: “Go back to Africa with all the other gorillas.” The Waterloo mayor also noted that he would sometimes receive up to 20 phone calls in one day with threats to him and his children.
“All of these things make (I have) an uneasy feeling and knowing it was because I’m Black, it’s a burden,” Hall said. “It’s certainly been a stressor living in fear of the unknown around every corner or when I pick up the phone.”
Both elected officials said they also received notifications of people trying to access their online accounts and attempting to create fraudulent ones on social media apps using their names. The pair added that their cars were vandalized in October 2023, trash was thrown in their yards, and their mail was tampered with.
Authorities connected Young to the alleged racist messages received by Hart and Hall.
“Quentin and I are not the first Black elected officials who have been the target [of racism]. Being a public, elected official should not mean you’re subject to this," Hall said.
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