Statement from Michigan People's Campaign Regarding Offensive Text Messages

Sunday evening, we discovered that our volunteer GOTV team had been infiltrated by a group of right-wing racists. These people used their access to our texting system to send many Michigan voters deeply offensive and racist messages. Their access was suspended within minutes of our discovery of this issue.

We deeply apologize to anyone who received these horrible, demeaning messages. MPC stands totally opposed to this hatred and works every day towards racial justice.

Nearly a thousand volunteers are working with MPC to get-out-the-vote and advocate for progressive change. They are the backbone of our organization. However, during this time of remote-work, it is difficult to get to know all of them. We pledge to screen volunteers to the best of our ability.

This is not the first time our operations have been disrupted by right-wing troublemakers. In March, racists took over MPC's Zoom calls and bombarded participants with offensive slogans and imagery. In other states, they have impersonated donors or volunteers and used selectively edited video to discredit progressive groups. This is a strategy of the right: to infiltrate and disorder. Lacking a compelling message for voters, or a compelling candidate for president, they have resorted to the tactics of a school-yard bully.

We will continue to do our work, to advocate for the marginalized and the vulnerable, and to make sure that all our voices will be heard on Election Day. We are not deterred.

If anyone receives offensive messages in the future, please alert our Executive Director, Ryan Bates (ryan@mipeoples.org), and our Data Director, Nick O'Keefe (nokeefe@mipeoples.org) so we can remove these provocateurs from our system.

Again, we deeply apologize to anyone who received or was hurt by these messages. They do not reflect our values or our team.

Sincerely,

The MPC Team