In the wake of the election discrimination against various minority groups is quickly becoming a norm in the US. Recently, it has been reported that many Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ people have been the target of hate. They have received many hateful messages,and folks in these groups are even receiving anonymous harmful texts and emails. The election was almost immediately followed by a wave of anti-Black messages, and now Latinx and LGBTQ+ people are receiving them too. These messages contain hate speech as well as threats to these minority groups, creating a sense that they are unwelcome in the US.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has received many reports about these messages. They are currently working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as well as other law enforcement agencies to get to the bottom of these hurtful and harmful messages. The FBI has reported that the situation has not escalated into acts of violence. However, many of the texts and emails contain threats of violence, so it might be prudent to say it hasn’t evolved into acts of violence … yet.
Even more appalling, the FBI said in a press release that these messages have even been sent to high schoolers who identify as part of these communities. There have been many instances of minority youths being targeted by bullies. However, unlike school bullies, the FBI believes that these messages are most likely from adults.
The heinous messages sent to Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ people are causing real harm. They are insulting to the targets, one text even said that a Black person was “Selected for cotton picking.” In addition to the insults, they have escalated fear in these communities. The FBI said that “Some recipients reported being told they were selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp.” The threats and hate speech being thrown at these people is indefensible. Unfortunately, it seems that the incoming administration won’t do anything to shut these messages down and would even encourage them.
Stock image via unsplash.com
