Police, FBI Investigate Threatening Letters

Eastpointe police are investigating threatening letters with racial slurs received by African American families in at least one neighborhood.  The letter said the families need to move "back across 8 Mile" Road -- and it also threatened violence. 

Most of the letters were received by people who live on Sprenger Street -- that's near Eight Mile and Gratiot. 

About 16 hand-written letters were sent.

WWJ's Vickie Thomas spoke with Eastpointe Mayor Suzanne Pixle.

"I was actually very surprised to hear anything like this was happening in Eastpointe," Pixle said. "There's always an isolated event that you can find, it doesn't make any difference if you're in Eastpointe or anywhere else. And, I think that's what this is -- an isolated event," she said.

Rochelle, an African American homeowner who received one of the letters, said she wasn't too surprised. She said one of her neighbors used to fly the confederate flag.

But, other than that, Rochelle said she hasn't had any real problems in what she calls a diverse community.

"We all work together, looking out for eachother's kids -- children play together. This is the first time I've experienced something as ignorant as this," she said.

Is she nervous?

"No fear -- nothing like that. It's just something that needs to be looked into and handled, because it's very serious when people are threatening -- you know -- it's says 'to kill you one by one,'" Rochelle said.

Police are sending several recovered letters to a crime lab for testing.

Anyone with information about the letters is asked to contact Eastpointe Police.