RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond Police Department has opened an investigation after the Richmond Branch of the NAACP reported it received a threatening voicemail.
Richmond NAACP president JJ Minor said his organization was "standing strong" in the face of the threat.
"I hope and pray that one day [the caller] will get some sense. Calling and threatening people will not make the world better. All he did was cause more tension and division," Minor said.
Minor said the voicemail was left last Monday and that it was rare for the NAACP to receive threatening calls.
"Cowards like this want to cause racial tension, behind a phone," he said. "We're never going to let our guard down. We will continue our work to help ensure political, social, educational equality rights of all persons and eliminate race-based discrimination."
The 32-second voicemail released to the media began with the caller accusing the NAACP of being racist.
"I'm going to do what I can to make sure you go away," the message continued. "You're anti-white. You hate whites. And you accuse our president of being racist? Boy, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? We're going to get rid of you. You're not needed anymore. I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure nothing comes to you, funds or anything. You're a racist bunch of black, useless people."
Richmond Police released a statement on the matter after the United Communities Against Crime organization called for a "full investigation."
"The Richmond Police Department immediately opened an investigation after being notified by the NAACP about this incident," Richmond Police Chief William Smith said. "The Department takes threats of violence very seriously and stands with the NAACP in our denouncement of these statements."
