The chat was allegedly created by a group of 8th-grade students and involved some of the juveniles expressing “hateful and racist comments" and a mock slave auction.

Six juveniles in Massachusetts were charged in a racial online bullying incident that involved “heinous” language, threats of “violence toward people of color” and a mock slave auction, the district attorney for Hampden County said.

Students from Southwick, about 104 miles southwest of Boston, allegedly participated in a “hateful, racist online” Snapchat discussion between Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said in a statement on Facebook.

Gulluni said he became aware of the incident on Feb. 15 and immediately called on the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit to investigate.

On Thursday, at the conclusion of the investigation, the district attorney authorized members of the Detective Unit and the Chief of the Juvenile Court Unit to pursue criminal charges against the juveniles.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    38
    ·
    8 months ago

    Where did they get all of that from? I’m guessing the racist apple doesn’t fall far from the racist tree.

    • KoboldCoterie@pawb.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      ·
      8 months ago

      The district attorney initiated forward-looking steps to “prevent future harm, encourage empathy, and build stronger communities free of hate.”

      They include a curriculum around hate and bullying being delivered to the Southwick school community and a partnership with the attorney general’s office to create a program that addresses and remediates the harmful forces of bigotry, racism and bullying in schools.

      I appreciate that the response, at least, wasn’t “Crucify these specific kids and ignore the underlying symptoms”.

    • Stovetop@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      edit-2
      8 months ago

      Other than a few pockets of blue, Western Massachusetts is very rural and leans conservative. I try to avoid going out that far if I can help it.

      These kids would be right at home in the South.

      • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        8 months ago

        Southwick is basically Connecticut. It’s literally the little weird bump at the bottom of Massachusetts (called the “Southwick Jog”). It is also, unsurprisingly, one of the most Trump-leaning areas in the entire state.

        WESTERN Mass is actually deeply blue like eastern Mass. It’s really central Mass and then the area around the Southwick Jog that are the “pockets” of red. I.e., https://media.wbur.org/wp/2020/11/1105_Mass-Map-1000x531.png