Federal and local officials confirm that racist text messages invoking slavery were sent to some mobile phone customers in Indiana on Thursday.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson confirmed in a statement Friday that residents of the Monroe County city had received the messages.
“In light of recent reports of hate speech, both nationally and within our community, the City of Bloomington unequivocally condemns all acts of hatred and hate speech,” Thomson said in a news release. “We stand firm in our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all residents.”
The mayor’s office stated that both students and Bloomington residents filed complaints.
A spokesperson for Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett stated that the city and IMPD had not yet received official reports of the messages in Indianapolis.
A spokesperson for the FBI office in Indianapolis told News 8 that the agency had received complaints about the messages from Indiana residents but was unable to provide specific cities associated with the complaints.
According to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office, the texts were “troubling, but not surprising.”
“Like prior scams and robo texts, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office and the nationwide Robo Call Task Force will continue its important work to curb these actions, identify the bad actors, and pursue enforcement efforts,” the representative for Rokita’s office told WISH-TV.
Anonymous messages were reported in several other states, including Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Alabama, California, and New York.
Federal investigators believe the messages were sent to Black men, women, and students across the country, including middle schoolers.
According to the Associated Press, the messages had a similar tone but different wording.
Some instructed the recipient to show up at a specific address, labeled as a ‘plantation’, at a specific time “with your belongings,” while others did not specify a location. Several of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.
It was unclear who sent the messages, and there was no comprehensive list of where they were sent, but high school and college students were among those who received them.
The FBI said it was in contact with the Justice Department about the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was looking into the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement.”
According to Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president for the wireless industry trade group CTIA, “Wireless providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are aggressively working to block them and the numbers that they are coming from.”
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