Editor’s note: The story, originally published at 7:15 p.m. Nov. 7, 2024, was updated at 11:05 a.m. Nov. 8, 2024, to include information from the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
Some Black Montgomery County residents and students have received text messages including racist threats that have plagued several states, according to Thursday statements from the Maryland Office of the Attorney General and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
“We are aware that many individuals, including our students, have received text messages today containing racist threats. We condemn these hateful communications and the fear they aim to instill,” the district said in the email sent to families, students and staff Thursday afternoon. “We have learned that these messages are being received in many communities in our area and across the country.”
According to the email, local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are aware of the messages, and some law enforcement offices have said they consider the texts to be “low-level threats.”
County police spokesperson Sheira Goff said they were aware of the messages, noting such incidents are handled by the FBI.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General released a statement Thursday night acknowledging reports of racist text messages sent to Black Maryland residents and students. According to the statement, while there are several versions of the message, each instructs the recipient to “board a bus” to be transported to a “plantation” to be enslaved.
The messages appear to be a part of a nationwide campaign targeting Black people after the election, according to the statement.
“We stand in solidarity with those who feel targeted and hurt by these actions,” MCPS said in the email. “To support our students and staff as they process these offensive and distressing messages, school staff—including members of our well-being teams, psychologists, social workers, and counselors—are available across the district.”
The attorney general’s office said it was “critical” for any recipient of these messages to report them to local law enforcement, so the messages are tracked and sent to the office’s Civil Rights Division for evaluation.
Recipients of the text can also lodge a complaint with the Civil Rights Division, or with the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention.
“These messages are horrific, unacceptable, and will not be tolerated. If you have been sent one of these texts, I am asking for you to please come forward and report it,” Attorney General Anthony Brown said in the statement. “I am committed to protecting the rights of all Marylanders. There is no home for hate in Maryland.”
According to USA Today, numerous people across different states reported receiving racially motivated texts days before and after Tuesday’s general election. Some messages said the person receiving the text was “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation” while others suggested that white supremacist/KKK group members were planning to target individuals.
Residents in states including Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, Ohio, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina have received similar texts, according to USA Today. Fox 5 reported that several residents of Washington, D.C., reported receiving alarming text messages with hateful language.
