In over a dozen states, people of color – including children – have received racist text messages saying they have been selected to pick cotton on a plantation.
Each text varies slightly, some even addressing the person by name and giving specific times “slave catchers” will pick them up.
The New York attorney general said children as young as middle school received these messages.
The FBI is currently investigating these texts, but haven’t found out yet who is responsible.
Talaya Jones from New Jersey received one of these texts on Wednesday, which she said was a shock.
“There is no way that it is 2024 and things like this are happening again,” Jones said. “It is just insane the level of disrespect that other people have for humans.”
Sam Burrel of Virginia said he was surprised they knew his first name.
“First text I saw was somebody greeting me and ‘We will be there to pick you up for a cotton field,” Burrel said.
Daniel Strassenberg with the Spokane Police said someone’s personal information is surprisingly easy to find.
“In this modern age where information is so readily available, I can’t speak to where this information is being derived from,” Strassenberg said.
Some of the racist texts have been traced back to Text Now, a provider that allows people to create phone numbers for free. A representative from Text Now says the company has shut down these accounts.
Strassenberg also said he hasn’t heard of any reports of texts like these in the Spokane area. If you do receive one of these texts, contact your local police department to report it immediately.
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