This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The outgoing president of the Denver chapter of the NAACP says she is certain the explosion that rattled the Colorado Springs branch of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization was a targeted hate crime.

Late on Tuesday morning, a homemade explosive device detonated outside a local NAACP office building in Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver. No one was injured in the explosion, and the building was only minimally damaged.

“My personal opinion is that it’s a hate crime,” said Rita Lewis, the Denver branch’s outgoing president. “It’s cowardly. But unfortunately it seems to be the climate in our country right now.”

The blast happened late outside a barber shop near the office of the Colorado Springs chapter of the NAACP. The FBI said the device was set against the exterior wall of the building. A gasoline canister placed near the device did not catch fire during the explosion.

“I’ve never seen anything in my lifetime that was this deliberate,” Lewis said. “This is reminiscent of the 1960s. Personally, I’m shocked that there are still cowards in 2015 who would do something this hateful.”

The FBI is investigating the incident in conjunction with the Colorado Springs police department and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

FBI special agent Amy Sanders said she couldn’t say whether the explosion targeted the NAACP.

“We believe it was deliberately set and are investigating all potential motives at this time,” said Sanders in an email.

“A hate crime is one possibility,” she added.

Henry Allen Jr, the president of the Colorado Spring branch of the NAACP, where the incident occurred, said he was “hesitant” to call the blast a hate crime until there was more information.

In an interview with local newspaper the Colorado Springs Gazette, Allen said members “will not be deterred” by threats or intimidation.

“We believe in civil rights for all, and really we won’t work in fear and we won’t be deterred,” he said. “We’ll move on … This won’t deter us from doing the job we want to do in the community.”

Investigators are searching for a balding white male around 40 years of age, the FBI said in a statement. The man may be driving a dirty, white, 2000 or older model pickup truck with paneling, a dark-colored bed liner, an open tailgate and a missing or covered license plate.

On Twitter, many were angry at the media for not giving the explosion more attention. Several people said they heard about the explosion only through social media, and said the lack of news coverage dedicated to the incident further proved the need for the “black lives matter” campaign.

Stefanie (@3weddings) I am stunned that there was nothing in the media about the #NAACPBombing ....oh wait, no I am not! #BlackLivesMatter

DACOLDEND (@DAColdEnd) If it wasnt for twitter, i wouldnt have even known about the #NAACPBombing