- “We don’t allow such activity in public, why would Zoom’s platform enable it to occur online?” – Leigh Johnson
by Vanguard Staff
HERCULES, Calif. — More than 200 educators, lawyers, and professionals have signed a letter to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan demanding accountability after a book launch event was hijacked with racist and antisemitic hate speech and imagery.
The incident took place March 27 during author and attorney Leigh Johnson’s Building the Case book launch on Zoom. Police confirmed the matter is being investigated by the Hercules Police Department as a hate crime.
“This company holds its community out as a gathering place, but they grant users complete anonymity unlike any gathering in the real-world,” Johnson said. “In so doing they’ve created a perfect platform for criminals seeking to engage in hate crimes. We don’t allow such activity in public, why would Zoom’s platform enable it to occur online?”
During the event, which was attended by more than 100 participants, an unidentified individual gained access and shared racial slurs, Confederate flags, swastikas, pornography, and simulated voices calling for racial violence. Many attendees, particularly Black participants, described the disruption as an act of racial terror that left them shaken and fearful.
Under California law, hate crime enhancements may apply when online meetings are intentionally disrupted with threats or intimidation targeting individuals based on race. Possible charges include electronic harassment, criminal threats, and unauthorized computer access.
Johnson followed Zoom’s reporting protocols within an hour of the attack, submitting video evidence and documentation. Several days later, a member of Zoom’s Trust and Safety team responded with what she described as a vague statement that action was taken “where appropriate,” without providing any details. Shortly afterward, Zoom Support closed the case, leaving the victims without answers about whether the perpetrators had been identified or reported to law enforcement.
A follow-up response from Zoom’s Trust and Safety Senior Manager suggested the fault lay with Johnson for not disabling certain host settings. The letter signed by the coalition of educators, lawyers, and professionals condemned that approach. “Placing the burden of preventing a racially motivated hate crime on a victim is deplorable and completely inappropriate,” the letter states. “The perpetrators of this attack are responsible, not the attendees and not the host.”
The signatories said Zoom’s failure to identify the assailant left participants fearful and uncertain about their safety, both online and in their daily lives. They argued that the company’s refusal to provide clear communication or transparency undermined trust in its platform. They also raised questions about Zoom’s internal values, asking how the company could reconcile its inaction with the expectations of its many employees, including people of color.
The coalition is calling on Zoom to reopen the case and share details of its investigation, ensure that speakers and screen-sharers are readily identifiable to prevent anonymous hate attacks, and provide transparency to victims when incidents occur. They are also urging the company to revisit its internal policies and training to strengthen protections against racially motivated disruptions.
The letter emphasizes that Zoom itself promotes its platform as a “gathering place” for connection and community, and argues that the company must take greater responsibility to ensure that its platform is not used to facilitate racial terror or shield perpetrators from accountability.
“As a platform averaging 300 million daily users, Zoom has a responsibility to ensure that its platform is not used to commit hate crimes,” the signatories wrote. “When such incidents occur, the bare minimum should be clear communication, transparency, and assurance that users are safe. That trust has been broken.”
The signatories include a wide range of educators, attorneys, advocates, and mental health professionals from across the country. Their message was clear: the perpetrators of the March 27 attack must be held accountable, and Zoom must take action to ensure its platform is not a safe haven for hate crimes in the future.
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