By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The offensive texts, which the FBI said it is investigating, even went to children in high school.
Yet another wave of terroristic text messages has been sent out to the phones of minorities, this time targeting LGBTQ+ and Hispanic people.
The FBI said in a statement Friday that it is investigating the "offensive and racist text messages" that went out to Black Americans two weeks ago telling them they had been “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.” It also announced it is looking into a second wave of messages sent to LGBTQ+ and Hispanic communities, which told recipients they were selected for deportation or that they must report to a "re-education camp."
The first messages reported, which came just one day after Donald Trump's election, told Black communities in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, and more to “be ready" at a certain time "with your belongings," saying: "Our executive slaves will come get you in a brown van. Be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter [sic] the plantation.” Some were signed “Sincerely, a Trump supporter."
Diana Brier, a 41-year-old lesbian, told The New York Times that she received a message on Sunday that similarly told her to check in on the date of Trump's inauguration so she she could be transported to an undisclosed location for an “LGB re-education camp.” The same message even went to minors in high school, according to the FBI.
“The timing is not a coincidence,” Brier said. “There’s a lot of concern among my queer friends about what’s going to happen to us.”
While the FBI said it had not yet received reports of any violence occurring because of the message, it is currently "evaluating all reported incidents and engaging with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division," and also "sharing information with our law enforcement partners and community, academia, and faith leaders."
Recipients of messages consistent with those described are encouraged to report the details to the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.
