Mass mailings sent to black Americans in several states claiming they were selected as slaves to “pick cotton” are being investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
The texts were delivered from area codes in at least 25 different states using anonymous mobile provider apps such as TextNow. Sent People were banned from leaving their homes on Tuesday night after President-elect Donald Trump won the election, the BBC reported.
According to NBC News, not all texts are expressed in the same words, but the theme is “consistent.”
The email obtained by the media said: You have been chosen to pick cotton at the nearest farm. Please have your belongings ready on November 13, 2024 at 12:00 AM. ”
“Our team will transport you in a brown boat. Be prepared to be searched. Please do not bring sharp objects or firearms. See you soon, GROUP E,” the message concludes. .
A message sent to another person said an “enforcement slave” would pick him up in a van and take him to a “plantation.”
TextNow acknowledged that it discovered one or more accounts were using the messaging app “in violation of its terms of service” and disabled them.
In a statement to NBC, the company said, “We do not condone the use of our services to send harassing or spam messages, and we will work with authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future.”
In a statement to the BBC, the FBI said: “We are aware of offensive and racist text messages being sent to individuals across the country and are in contact with the Department of Justice and other federal authorities regarding this matter.” “We are taking the following measures,” he said.
The main recipients of the messages appear to be university students and younger.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) claimed the message was a result of President Trump's victory.
“This behavior is not normal,” said Derrick Johnson, the group's chief executive. “These messages are vile and abhorrent messages from racist groups across the country who are emboldened to fan the flames of fear and spread hatred that many of us are feeling in the wake of Tuesday’s election results. It represents an incredible increase in rhetoric.”
People on social media have also begun speculating about how the mass text messages might be related to Trump's victory, with one X user named Mark Stevenson posting a tweet on the “Democracy Campaign Listserver. “Maybe someone with a VPN decided to use a VPN to send text messages to infuriate people?” He used racist rhetoric to try to foist it on Trump. ”
Anti-Trump
Although some believe the messages have something to do with President Trump, campaign spokesman Stephen Chan said, “The campaign has nothing to do with these text messages.”
The number of messages sent is unknown, but is believed to be in the hundreds.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel condemned the offensive text. statement“These messages are not accepted.”
“That is why our enforcement office is already working with federal and state law enforcement agencies to investigate and investigate,” she added. “We take this type of targeting very seriously.”
