Racist 'Slavery' Texts Sent To Black GA Residents Probed: Reports

Crime & Safety

Racist 'Slavery' Texts Sent To Black GA Residents Probed: Reports Text messages referencing slavery and "cotton picking" were sent to Black residents in 25 states, including in GA, this week, reports say.

GEORGIA — Text messages referencing slavery and "cotton picking" that were recently sent to Black residents in several states, including in Georgia, are under a probe by the FBI, according to the federal agency and media reports.

The Federal Communications Commission is also investigating the messages, the Associated Press reported, while the Southern Poverty Law Center said it has opened its case into the matter.

The messages were sent Wednesday, a day after the 2024 general election, to Black residents in 25 states - including Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Pennsylvania and Alabama, CBS News reported.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta , some residents received these messages before the election.

Georgia resident David Williams told Fox 5 he received a message that read: "Greetings, David. You've been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation in Atlanta. Be ready at 12 am sharp with your belongings."

Some of the messages mentioned the incoming presidential administration, the Associated Press reported.

"The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter. As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities," the FBI said in a statement released Thursday.

The origin of the messages has not been revealed. However, CBS News reported some of them were sent to TextNow users, an application that permits users to create numbers at no cost.

TextNow "learned that one or more of our accounts may have been used to send text messages in violation of our terms of service," the company said in a statement to CBS News.

The accounts have since been shut down, the news outlet reported.

The SPLC condemned the messages, saying they were sent to Alabama State University and the University of Alabama students.

The messages were a public display of "hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history. Hate speech has no place in the South or in our nation," Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO, said.

"Leaders at all levels must condemn anti-Black racism, in any form, whenever we see it — and we must follow our words with actions that advance racial justice and build an inclusive democracy where every person feels safe and welcome in their community."