People throughout the D.C. area and across the United States reported receiving racist spam text messages the day after the election that told them to report to plantations to pick cotton.
One person, who did not want to be identified, sent News4 a screenshot of the text, which said:
"Greetings, You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 12PM SHARP with your belongings. Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Black Van, be prepared to be searched down once you've enter[sic] the plantation. You are in Plantation Group S"
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News4 obtained the screenshot of a similar text sent to another person from the region:
A third text shared on the Washingtonian Problems Instagram had specific references to the District and Virginia. In that message, the recipient was told they would be a "house slave" at the Abingdon Plantation in Arlington, which is on land shared with Washington Reagan National Airport. They're directed to an address in Southwest D.C. and are also told it is mandatory.
The Metropolitan Police Department's Office of Homeland Security Intelligence is investigating the origins of the messages directing people to the Southwest address, police said. It's the address of Metro headquarters, and the message is signed, "Sincerely, Trump administration."
“It's worrisome,” said Pam, a woman who didn’t want to be identified but said her family and friends received messages. “The whole election had people anxious, and then now we have to deal with random messages coming across our phone, to Black people, people of color. It's not fair.”
Each message is slightly different in detail and specificity.
“Some messages included people’s personal names,” said Pam. “Some messages just started out with a greeting saying that people will be enslaved and that there will be a bus coming to pick up people.”
“How did you get my number and how do I defend and how do I protect myself and what is going to be done about this?” Pam wants to know.
Some students in Montgomery County, Maryland, also received the texts, the school system said in a letter to families.
"We recognize that the emotional and psychological impact on our students, staff, and particularly our communities of color is profound. We stand in solidarity with those who feel targeted and hurt by these actions," Montgomery County Public Schools said in the letter.
School officials asked anyone who received the messages to report them to local authorities or school staff.
Frederick County Public Schools also sent a letter to families, advising, "Should a student receive a message that is hateful, they should not share it or otherwise distribute it to others, but must report it immediately."
The attorneys general for D.C., Maryland and Virginia condemned the texts and asked residents to reach out to local law enforcement if they're in danger.
For District residents, the Office of the Attorney General asked anyone who received the texts to reach out to the civil rights section at 202-727-3400 or emailing OAGCivilRights@dc.gov.
The Federal Communications Commission is also looking into the messages.
"Our Enforcement Bureau is aware of these and is looking into them alongside federal and state law enforcement."
People in Alabama, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,, Georgia and other states have also reported getting the texts, according to online news reports. Many of the texts appeared to go to students – including some in middle school.
The source of the widespread texts is unknown at this time and it's unclear how they obtained the phone numbers and names of so many.
The FBI is investigating the texts and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities, the agency said in a statement.
"As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities,' the statement said.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story had a statement from the Metropolitan Police Department stating that people should report any racist texts to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC notified News4 that this information is wrong as it has no jurisdiction over the issue. It recommends people to report the texts to the FBI and, possibly, the FCC.
