Maryland’s attorney general has warned Black Marylanders to be alert to racist text messages sent by an unknown sender or senders.
This follows reports from black students in several states who reported to authorities on Wednesday that they had received anonymous text messages containing racist references to the era of American slavery, according to USA Today.
Maryland AG in trouble after ‘multiple reports of racist text messages’
In a news release Thursday evening, the Attorney General’s Office said it has received multiple reports of racist text messages sent to Black Marylanders from an unknown sender or senders.
While there are different versions, each text message at least instructs the recipient to “get on a bus” to be transported to a “plantation” to work as a slave, the AG’s office said. The text messages appear to be part of a nationwide campaign targeting black people in the aftermath of the election. The recipients included school and college students, causing significant problems, the release said.
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What to do in Maryland if you receive racist text messages
The AG’s Office urged people who receive these text messages to report them to their local law enforcement agency to ensure these hate messages are monitored, and to the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division for review. Complaints may be filed with the Civil Rights Division using this form: https://bit.ly/48w8WF7 or with the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention at https://nohomeforhate.md.gov.
“These messages are horrific, unacceptable and will not be tolerated. If you have received one of these text messages, I am asking you to come forward and report it,” Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a news release. “I am committed to protecting the rights of all Marylanders. There is no home for hate in Maryland.”
So far no reports on Lower Shore, in Hagerstown, but elsewhere in MD
On the Lower Shore, spokespeople for Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore said they had not heard of any instances of racist texts being sent to students or faculty. Salisbury police had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
In Washington County, Lt. Rebecca Fetchu of the Hagerstown city police said Friday morning that she was unaware of any such text messages having been received in the Hagerstown area.
Washington County Public Schools spokesperson Erin Anderson also said Friday morning that no students or staff in the public school system here received such texts.
Hagerstown Community College spokesperson Beth Kirkpatrick said Friday morning that she was not aware of any students receiving such messages.
The Washington Post reported that Maryland’s largest school system, Montgomery County Public Schools, sent a letter to families and staff on Thursday saying many individuals, including students, had received text messages containing racist threats.
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The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate incidents across the country, and local authorities in Ohio, Alabama, South Carolina and other states investigated the messages sent after the announcement of Donald Trump’s election, USA Today reported.
It is unclear who sent the messages and how many were sent. At least some of the messages allegedly came from “a Trump supporter,” according to USA Today.
Julie Greene of the Hagerstown Herald-Mail and several reporters from USA Today contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared in the Salisbury Daily Times: Racist text messages prompt AG to issue warnings to Black Marylanders
