Officials from several US states and universities on Wednesday condemned racist text messages sent to black residents. In the messages, whose language was almost identical, recipients were told they had been “selected to pick cotton.”
In a statement, the FBI said it was aware of “offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals across the country” and said it was in contact with the Justice Department and other federal officials.
CBS News found that these texts were received by people in states including Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Ohio. NAACP President Derrick Johnson condemned the messages and said they represented an “alarming increase in hateful and hateful rhetoric.”
CBS News found that the messages were sent from numbers with area codes in at least 25 different states. By Thursday, many of the numbers remained disconnected, while others went to voicemail, which identified them as TextNow users, a provider that allows people to create phone numbers for free.
TextNow said in a statement that it “became aware that one or more of our accounts may have been used to send text messages in violation of our Terms of Service,” adding that it took down the accounts as soon as it learned. has been closed.
“We do not condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future.”
CBS News spoke to one of the individuals who sent a version of the text. The man, whose area code corresponded to Fort Wayne, Indiana, said the message was a prank before abruptly ending the call. Subsequent requests for comment remained unanswered.
Officials report widespread messages
The Virginia Attorney General's office told CBS News it is aware of the messages and “unequivocally condemns them,” urging recipients to contact local law enforcement and the FBI if they believe they are in danger. Are.
The Atlanta Police Department in Georgia told CBS News they are aware of the messages and are not investigating at this time, but urged residents to report any suspicious messages.
Several schools and universities also said their students had received lessons.
Clemson University Police Department in South Carolina Said They received reports of students receiving racist messages, while some black students at the University of Alabama also received messages, according to student newspaper,
Some Ohio State University students also received texts, school spokesman Benjamin Johnson told CBS News. “We have reported the messages to the Office of Institutional Equity and are providing support services. We know this is happening nationally,” Johnson said.
Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania Wrote a letter warning to parents Middle school students received racist text messages Thursday. The school district did not say what the text messages said.
Montgomery County, Maryland, said in a letter to families and students that local law enforcement and the FBI are aware of these messages, and “law enforcement in some areas have announced they consider the messages to be low-level threats.”
Recipients describe fear
CBS News spoke to two Atlanta residents who reported receiving the messages. Deveraux Adams, 27, said she felt “scared and sad” when she received the message on Wednesday afternoon.
Adams said it was “very confusing” because he couldn't tell where or how the person sending the message got his contact information. “I don't feel safe at all,” Adams said.
Another Atlanta resident, Monet Miller, 29, said she felt scared after receiving the message. He said his friends in North Carolina also got the message.
Miller told CBS News, “I knew it was a joke, but seeing it happen so soon after the election shook me. Just made me more cautious of my surroundings and where I go.”
Fort Lauderdale resident Corinne G. Freeman said she received a racist message at 5:30 pm Wednesday from a local number she did not recognize. Freeman said, “It really created fear. It created anger. I believe they know I'm a Black woman or Black man, which is why they would target me with that type of inflammatory racism.” “
After posting about receiving the messages on social media, Freeman said two of her friends told her that their children, both Black, had also received similar racist text messages.
“It's not fair that they have to face this level of racism after an election they didn't participate in. But it's because of the courage of whoever is doing this after the election that they have to face it,” Freeman said. Used to be.”
Contributed to this report.