The Latest: Racist graffiti protested at Eastern Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Latest on protests over racist graffiti at Eastern Michigan University (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

Students and faculty at Eastern Michigan University have gathered to protest another incident of racist graffiti left on a campus building.

The Ann Arbor News reports (http://bit.ly/2eB0M2w ) that Wednesday’s rally outside Ford Hall in Ypsilanti drew hundreds of people. It also followed an overnight sit-in by some black students at the school’s Student Center.

The university said the graffiti targeting African Americans was discovered Monday, spray-painted on the exterior of Ford Hall. It was quickly removed. At least two other racist messages were left earlier this academic year on the campus.

Black students at the school west of Detroit have said they will not be intimidated by the graffiti.

Freshman Taylor Amari Little called the vandalism “a hate crime” and said it was “terrorism.”

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5:30 a.m.

Students at Eastern Michigan University are protesting after more anti-black graffiti was discovered on campus this week.

The protests include a sit-in early Wednesday at the EMU Student Center on the school’s Ypsilanti campus.

The university says the graffiti was discovered Monday spray-painted on the exterior of Ford Hall and was immediately removed.

On Tuesday, school President Jim Smith announced the creation of the President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. He says in a message to campus that the vandalism is “hateful” and says the school is working to foster respect, equity and inclusion.

The university has said that a reward for information about similar graffiti that appeared in late September has been doubled to $10,000 and applies to the latest incident as well. The earlier graffiti led to protests.