Six middle-school college students in Massachusetts face “hate” prices for taking part in an internet chat thread that allegedly included dialogue of a “mock slave public sale.”
The scholars are between the ages of 13 and 14 and are from Southwick (Massachusetts) Regional College, in keeping with WBTS.
The “hate speech and race-based bullying” allegedly occurred on Feb. 8, Hampden District Legal professional Anthony Gulluni mentioned throughout a press convention Thursday.
Gulluni added that his workplace turned conscious of the alleged racist on-line dialogue on Snapchat and commenced its investigation per week later.
With the probe concluded, Gulluni mentioned he’s pursuing felony prices in opposition to the kids for participating within the “hateful, racist on-line chat that included heinous language, threats and a mock slave public sale.”
The six college students are being charged with “menace to commit against the law,” and two are being hit with extra prices of interference with civil rights. One is also dealing with a witness interference cost, in keeping with WBTS.
Gulluni mentioned he can’t provide extra particulars about what the alleged racist teenagers mentioned within the Snapchat thread or disclose the identities of the kids as a result of they’re minors.
However the district legal professional mentioned the scholars made racist feedback and slurs, talked of violence towards folks of colour, and posted derogatory photos and movies. Gulluni mentioned the kids additionally joked about placing two college students from their college on a slave public sale.
As WBUR famous, Snapchat is ready as much as mechanically delete what’s posted to the service a short while after posting, however members have the choice to save lots of the chat to their private accounts.
Gulluni, WBUR reported, mentioned he met with the victims and their households in the course of the investigation.
“Hatred and racism haven’t any place on this group. And the place this conduct turns into felony, I’ll be sure that we act,” Gulluni mentioned in an announcement.
“There is no such thing as a query that the alleged conduct of those six juveniles is vile, merciless, and contemptible. Seeing it, and dealing with the truth that these ideas, that this ugliness, can exist inside center college college students, right here, on this group, in 2024 is discouraging, unsettling and deeply irritating.”
Gulluni mentioned he’s working to launch a unit that can develop an anti-hate and anti-bullying curriculum for the Southwick colleges.
The district legal professional additionally mentioned he intends to contact State Legal professional Normal Andrea Campbell’s workplace to develop extra packages to fight racism in colleges.
“We have now had conversations with management of the Massachusetts State Police, which lately introduced a brand new unit known as HART, which stands for Hate Crimes Consciousness and Response Group,” Gulluni defined.
“We are going to enlist their help and assets to collectively instruct police departments and college personnel throughout Western Massachusetts on finest practices concerning hate crimes and bullying inside colleges.
“Whereas I’m optimistic that these initiatives may have a significant affect, I implore everybody to take their very own steps to battle racism and bullying,” Gullani mentioned within the assertion, per WBTS. “We have now a duty to name out ignorance and hate after we witness it. We have now a duty to advertise tolerance and empathy. And after we settle for this responsibility all of us have a robust impression on our communities.”
Gullani concluded:
“I hope that our collective efforts to develop empathy, compassion and tolerance will overcome the forces of apathy, malice and intolerance. This isn’t a problem unique to a spot, an age group or to a specific race. This can be a common difficulty that we should face as one unified group. Let’s transfer ahead with hope, resiliency and dedication to justice.”
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This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.