NEW ORLEANS — The FBI and Louisiana’s Attorney General Liz Murrill say they are aware and investigating after Black people in several states across the country, including Louisiana, received disturbing racist text messages calling them to return to slavery.
Since Wednesday, the messages, sent anonymously, have been reported in several states, such as New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana according to the Associated Press.
The randomly sent text messages referenced slavery and implied Black people to return to “plantations” suggesting that they would be returned to slavery.
Some Black people in Louisiana were victimized by the awful messages, prompting Louisiana AG Liz Murrill to request the FBI to include the state in its investigation.
“I have been made aware of racist and vile spam text messages individuals have received throughout Louisiana. I have directed the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation to fully investigate the origins of these disgusting texts that only intend to divide us,” said Murrill in a statement on social media.
Murrill urged anyone who received a text to contact the Attorney General’s office at (800) 351-4889.
The slavery-themed messages were reportedly sent to Black men, women, and students including some middle-school students.
As the Associated Press reports, about six middle school students in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, received the messages too, said Megan Shafer, acting superintendent of the Lower Merion School District.
“The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted,” she wrote in a letter to parents.
Students at some major universities, including Clemson in South Carolina and the University of Alabama, said they received the messages.
The Federal Communications Commission says it is also investigating the incident.
*The Associated Press contributed to this story*
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.