Feds examine racist texts despatched throughout the nation post-election

Folks throughout the nation acquired racist textual content messages within the days after Donald Trump was elected to a second time period for president, and now federal authorities are investigating.

“In a number of states, together with Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, Black ladies, males, and college students have reported receiving racist textual content messages from an unknown supply, urging them to report back to a plantation to select cotton,” the NAACP mentioned in a press launch. Messages mentioned variations of, “You might have been chosen to be a home slave,” or “You might have been chosen to select cotton on the nearest plantation,” in accordance with screenshots and information reviews. Additionally they typically instruct recipients on the place to go or when to be prepared “With all your belongings.”

CBS Information reviews that messages have been despatched from space codes in no less than 25 states, however a number of have been disconnected by Thursday. CBS discovered energetic accounts have been linked to TextNow, which lets customers create free cellphone numbers. TextNow advised CBS it “realized that a number of of our accounts might have been used to ship textual content messages in violation of our phrases of service,” and shut them down.

Federal Communications Fee Chair Jessica Rosenworcel known as the messages “unacceptable” in a press release and says the company’s enforcement bureau was already investigating. “We take such a concentrating on very significantly,” she says. The Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier mentioned it was “in touch with the Justice Division and different federal authorities on the matter” and inspired the general public to report threats of violence to native regulation enforcement.