CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office and Clemson University Police said they’ve received complaints about people getting racist text messages after the election.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson had some strong words about the text messages that have come directly following Tuesday’s election.
Wilson called the messages “vile and deplorable,” saying the people who sent them are trying to divide us and we must “stand together against the hatred.”
“She sent that text to me,” said Sharon Herring, who told KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas that her 13-year-old granddaughter received such a message.
The text was similar to this disturbing message:
“Greetings, You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 1:00 pm SHARP with your belongings.”
The message goes on to tell the people that they will be “searched down” and one says the person is in “Plantation Group C.”
“I was terrified. I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ I couldn’t understand why somebody would send that,” said Herring.
N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein’s office said they’ve received about eight reports of people getting these types of racist messages.
“I was disappointed and disgusted quite frankly but I’m not shocked unfortunately,” said Corine Mack, President of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP.
“I’m hoping that the FBI and SBI deal with this issue fairly quickly and send a message to anyone that thinks it’s OK to be offensive and disrespectful,” said Mack.
The FBI said it’s aware of the messages and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities.
Clemson University Police said they’re investigating after they began to receive reports from students on Wednesday that they received the text messages.
Clemson Police said their investigation revealed the numbers associated with sending the texts came from online spoofing sites.
Police do not believe there is any credible threat to the university, but Clemson is providing counselors for students who are impacted.
“I’m hoping that people come forward and report any incident that may be racially motivated and racially threatening,” said Mack.
Mack hopes victims won’t be hesitant to come forward.
“I’m not sure they’re afraid to report this,” said Mack. “I think as Black people in this country, quite often we feel that there’s no help for us, historically Black people have been harmed by law enforcement as well.”
The FBI encourages people to report any threats of violence to local law enforcement.
Wilson’s office sent the following statement:
“While we have not received any complaints from South Carolina citizens who were sent these racist text messages, we are aware of them and have been in touch with our federal law enforcement partners. The FBI is currently monitoring the distribution of these messages across the country and any complaints we receive will be forwarded to them. These messages are vile and deplorable. Whoever sent them is only trying to divide us and we must stand together against this kind of hatred.”
Stein, who was elected as North Carolina’s next governor, sent the following statement:
“Our office is working with federal and industry partners to investigate the source of these robotexts. We encourage North Carolinians who receive these abusive messages to report them to our office (1-877-5-NO-SCAM or ncdoj.gov/complaint) and/or local law enforcement.”
Clemson University sent the following:
On Wednesday, the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) began to receive reports of students receiving text messages containing racially disparaging and biased language from unrecognized numbers. CUPD immediately initiated an investigation and began working with state partners to identify the source of the messages. These numbers have been determined to be associated with online spoofing sites.
CUPD has communicated with the State Law Enforcement Division’s Fusion Center and investigators have been made aware that Clemson University students are not the only individuals to have received such messages. The messages appear to have been broadly distributed, as a number of other states and institutions have also reported the same or similar communications.
Based on the information available, there is currently no indication of a credible threat to members of the University community.
CUPD takes all reports of concerning communication seriously and is committed to the safety of the University community. The department continues to actively investigate these incidents in partnership with state and federal agencies. If you receive suspicious messages from a number you do not recognize, report it to CUPD by calling 864-656-2222.
Additionally, resources are available to students who may have been affected by these messages. If you wish to speak to a counselor, contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) by calling 864-656-2451. After-hours counseling is available by selecting option 2 from the menu.
Clemson University