A racist textual content message was despatched to hundreds of Black people nationwide the day after the election. Whereas federal authorities are investigating the supply of the disturbing message, Southern California households and college districts are reeling from the expertise since residents within the Southland have been additionally affected.
Amongst those that have been focused by the textual content have been Black Santa Monica college students. Whereas it is a nationwide difficulty, one dad or mum is looking for native motion.
Ericka Lesley has been speaking concerning the post-election racist textual content messages for 5 days now. When requested if she might learn out loud the message her son acquired final Wednesday, it was too overwhelming.
“It actually does one thing to you while you learn it while you learn it out loud as a dad or mum as a result of I didn’t know was going to hit like that,” mentioned Lesley.
Lesley tells NBC4 her teenage sons have been a few of at the least dozens of Black college students she’s recognized at Santa Monica Excessive College who acquired the message telling them they’ve been “chosen to select cotton” at a “plantation.”
She says by means of her community of oldsters, she’s decided a neighborhood center faculty and Santa Monica Faculty acquired the message, as effectively. In the meantime, from California to Kentucky, Florida to Washington DC, younger Black individuals acquired related messages the day after the election. The wording differed barely, however the message was primarily the identical.
“Only a complete chill to undergo your physique to assume hey that is one thing that they’re focusing on Black youngsters … however now, you might be additionally on a nationwide scale,” Lesley mentioned. “What else are they planning?”
Regulation enforcement, together with the FBI, are investigating the messages. Lesley is looking for elevated safety for Black youngsters in Santa Monica faculties.
“We would like elevated security measures put in place for our youngsters,” she mentioned.
The Santa Monica Malibu Unified College District Superintendent Antonio Shelton issued a press release Friday saying partly, “Concentrating on our college students with racist messages is unfathomable. Whoever or no matter group began this marketing campaign must be prosecuted to the complete extent of the regulation. If we be taught {that a} SMMUSD scholar is concerned on the native stage, they are going to face disciplinary motion to the complete extent of Training Code and college board coverage.”
The Santa Monica Police Division tells NBC4 they’re conscious of the textual content messages, however Lt. Erika Aklufi mentioned she was not conscious of any studies being made to SMPD.
Aklufi encourages anybody who receives a message of that nature to report it to the police.
Neither Santa Monia Police nor SMMUSD indicated any plans to extend faculty safety in mild of the textual content messages.
