Native police are investigating “abhorrent racist” textual content messages that had been despatched to college students as a part of a nationwide development after the election.
Stoughton Public Faculties directors on Thursday had been alerted that six college students, together with college students of coloration, obtained the racist textual content messages.
The nameless messages have additionally been reported in a number of states, together with Alabama, California, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Stoughton Public Faculties contacted Stoughton Police, and the division started an investigation. Police are investigating whether or not the textual content messages had been focused towards sure college students.
“The Stoughton Police Department takes this abhorrent racist behavior extremely seriously, and we’re committed to conducting a thorough investigation to try to determine the source of these messages,” Police Chief Donna McNamara mentioned in a press release.
“Racism in any form has no place in our schools, our community, or our society, and we will stand firm in our efforts to eradicate it,” the police chief added.
Stoughton Police are working with Massachusetts State Police and the Commonwealth Fusion Heart to share data and examine the matter. Stoughton Police are additionally persevering with to collaborate with Stoughton Public Faculties.
Police are urging any Stoughton college students who obtained an identical textual content message to contact Stoughton Police at 781-344-2424.
The FBI issued a press release on Thursday concerning the racist textual content message nationwide development.
“The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter,” the FBI mentioned in a press release.
“As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities,” the feds added.
The Related Press reported that a few of the texts instructed the recipient to indicate up at an handle at a specific time “with your belongings,” whereas others didn’t embrace a location. A few of them talked about the incoming Trump administration.
Tasha Dunham of Lodi, California, instructed the AP that her 16-year-old daughter confirmed her one of many messages Wednesday night.
The textual content not solely used her daughter’s identify, but it surely directed her to report back to a “plantation” in North Carolina, the place Dunham mentioned they’ve by no means lived. Once they seemed up the handle, it was the situation of a museum.
Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chapel mentioned Black college students who’re members of the group’s Missouri State College chapter obtained texts citing Trump’s win and calling them out by identify as being “selected to pick cotton” subsequent Tuesday.
“This is terrorism plain and simple,” Chapel mentioned in a press release. “It points to a well-organized and resourced group that has decided to target Americans on our home soil based on the color of our skin. The schools that were targeted and law enforcement need to take these reports seriously and act quickly to prevent the escalation to physical violence.”
Herald wire companies had been used on this report.
