Racist Facebook group stirs concerns in Boulder; at least 5 expelled

BOULDER, Colo. -- At least five students have been expelled from Boulder Preparatory High School after a police investigation into a Nazi-inspired Facebook group chat linked to a recent suicide. 

Police say they learned about the group after a tip surfaced about an unspecified threat referencing the group. That led police to contact the headmaster of Boulder Prep and a local rabbi. 

The investigation closed at the end of September, without the arrest of any students. However, police say they learned the inner workings of the group and were able to notify the parents of those involved. 

At least 15 youths are involved, however 22 people are named in the police report, including three adults who may have helped police with the investigation. At least five students were expelled, some from Boulder Prep and one from Boulder High. 

Three youths are at least 18-years-old, but won't be named in this report as they haven't been charged with a crime. 

Police say upon the group's founding, students from Boulder Preparatory High School, Pomona High School, Boulder High School, Monarch High School and one from Colorado Mountain College named the group the "4th Reich's Official Group Chat." 

In the chat group, the students talked about a variety of topics, assigning titles, ranks and the group's overall "mission."

Explained several times, the group's mission is described as taking over the world and killing minorities, including black people, African-Americans and Jewish people. 

The group's leader was called "The Fuhrer" and he or she titled all others in the group officers, tasked with recruiting others to the cause. 

The officers were titled various German ranks, including "Gruppenfuhrer, Sturmbannfuhrer, Obergruppenfuhrer and Reichsfuhrer-SS." 

Some of the derogatory chat in the group included a rhyme by one unnamed student who wrote, "You can hang Jews on trees, shoot them right in the knees. Gas them as you please." 

Terms like "WHITE POWER," were mentioned, alongside threatening phrases like, "DEATH TO ALL JEWS AND N*****S." 

In other references to people the students knew, they wrote "Is [redacted] in it?" 

The response read, "No he is a k*ke and he must be put down." 

Multiple times in the group chat, members iterated how "serious" they were about their mission and plans, referring to the group leader as "Mien Fuhrer." 

After thoroughly investigating the case and interviewing the students, police said in their report, "There is no evidence or documentation to support there being any credible threat to any students or schools documented in this report." 

In the reports, police make little mention of their interviews with students, only describing one contact with the group's apparent second in command. When they approached the student, he reportedly said the whole chat was "funny" and he wouldn't actually act upon anything said in the chat. 

One parent of an involved student was taken aback when speaking to police, according to their report. She told police her son, "has no means to hurt anyone and the family does not own any weapons." 

As police could never pinpoint a weapon or direct actionable, no students were cited, arrested or charged. Each student received a disciplinary letter. 

Although no charges were brought against students, Boulder Preparatory High School officials did request extra law enforcement presence, citing community concern. 

It's not known if that extra law enforcement presence is still needed at the school. Boulder Valley School District spokespeople released slim details when asked by Denver7. 

"[Boulder Valley School District] has a long history of teaching and modeling social justice, school safety, and equity for all students. Our district remains commited to this important work." 

The spokespeople said they weren't able to confirm or deny the expulsions based on the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, only saying the school took "appropriate responsive action." 

Denver7 knocked on the doors of some of those involved in the chat group, calling several of their homes, however nobody answered or returned our calls.