Racist texts target people in West Michigan following election
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Several people in West Michigan reported receiving racist text messages the day after the presidential election.
Frances Carmona, who lives in Grand Rapids, said her 15-year-old niece was one of the recipients of a spam-like text that appears to be targeting people of color across the nation.
"Greetings! You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation," the message read. "PLEASE be ready by 12 am November 15, 2024! NO EXCEPTIONS !! Bring all of your belongs our Exclusive slaves will be there by 11:45 to pick you up in a Large Brown van, Be prepared to get searched and patted down once inside of the plantation A 1st cabin to your right ! -Thank you."
"Please note that anyone who runs away or doesn't show up will be killed," a second text followed.
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Not all the messages have exactly the same wording, but all reference plantation work. One ended with the hashtag #MAGA.
"Upset is an understatement," Carmona said, speaking with News 8 outside the home where she lives with her sister and niece. "I don't know what's happening. I knew things were going to happen after the election, but not the day after. You know, it is kind of scary. It's frightening. Now at night, I worry about can somebody come in and kick the door down like they used to and drag you out?"
Carmona is Native American and said she's proud of her heritage and the diversity in her family.
"I have every shade in my family and I'm proud of them, proud of my niece, but she, when she got that text, she was shaky. I didn't know what to tell her. I didn't know how to tell her. I thought she wouldn't have to be in this era or this time of worrying about somebody threatening her, killing her, or telling her she's got to go pick cotton," Carmona said. "I thought we were out of that whole era of slavery and racism."
She added that her niece said some of her classmates received similar texts. Carmona's first thought was that it might have come from someone at school until she learned people all over the country are getting them.
Two other women who spoke with News 8 got similar messages. One of the women's 16-year-old daughter was targeted. All of them instantly started panicking, they said.
"My heart instantly dropped. I didn't know if it was some type of sick joke or if it was real," one of the women wrote. "I texted my mom and when I got home I was informed that my grandma's coworker's daughter had received the same message and she lives in Arizona. I didn't know what to believe I just wanted it not to be real."
Though Carmona said she feels safer knowing they weren't the only ones targeted, she said that her heart breaks for anyone who has received one of the messages.
"Think of everyone else who received that text, what they went through," Carmona said. "Especially children and college students and adults if they received this. Can you imagine if an old lady received that text? Can you imagine the fear that could have went through that person?
"It's a scary thought because, if this is happening around the country, what are they going to do next? What?" she said. "What do we have to worry about now?"
Carmona's family contacted police to file a report because she felt it was important to document the incident. A spokesperson for the Grand Rapids Police Department said that as of Thursday morning, the agency had gotten two reports of similar messages and investigators are working to identify where they came from. GRPD added that the process may take additional time as the phone numbers often originate from an app-based system.
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News 8 tried calling several of the numbers from which the texts originated. They were either no longer in service or went right to voicemail.
"I'm hoping that they find the guilty people, guilty person who did this, and all I get to hope is that they get the just punishment," Carmona said, adding that for now, all she can do is pray for unity, kindness and happiness.
"This is the United States. We're the home of the brave. From Native Americans to Asians to Africans, United States was built on a mixing pot," she stated. "We have to look at everybody, no matter what color you are or what choices you decide to do in life, everybody has the right to be who they are."
Police encourage anyone who receives harassing or threatening messages with language including ethnic intimidation to file a report, including providing police with screenshots of the number and message.
News 8 contacted Attorney General Dana Nessel and U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland's offices to find out if they were aware of the messages circulating and ask what's being done to trace or combat them, but had not heard back as of Thursday afternoon.
