Summary

Racist text messages invoking slavery were anonymously sent to Black individuals across several U.S. states, sparking investigations by the FBI, FCC, and local law enforcement.

The messages, received in states like New York, Alabama, and California, varied in wording but shared a disturbing tone, with some directing recipients to report to specific locations.

Civil rights groups, including the NAACP and Southern Poverty Law Center, condemned the messages, calling them deeply disturbing and perpetuating a legacy of evil.

Wireless providers are working to block the messages, which officials believe could be the work of bots or malicious actors.

    • x00z@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      Can be anybody really:

      • White people being racist
      • Republicans separating the country to have a problem to fix
      • Democrats to show how Trump will ruin the US
      • Other countries trying to destabilize the US
      • Black people getting other black people mad to start a “race war”
      • US Government because they want more anti privacy measures
      • Jacob Wohl
    • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      I think it’s important to point out that this is more terrifying than it looks on the face of it. Think about it for a minute. Mass text messages going out in multiple Municipal areas harassing women of color. This ain’t your grandpappies racists. Your Average bigoted Yokel doesn’t have access to the technology to do that or the information to do that. And seeing as the FBI is on the table to be gutted soon. I don’t expect much from the investigation. And even if something comes out and they try to claim it is a single isolated person with administrator access at one of the major carriers. I would consider them more Patsy than anything. That a company would play fast and loose with that kind of access and data. Is a company that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. This should be a wake-up call to everyone to get their privacy fucking sorted. The Gestapo is watching.

    • ivn@jlai.lu
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      20 hours ago

      Never get used to this. I get what you are saying but I don’t think this is the right response.

        • MagicShel@lemmy.zip
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          18 hours ago

          Yeah. I’m feeling so much contempt for my country right now, part of me feels like, had I known this about us, I’d have welcomed Trump long ago, because clearly we deserve this. Let’s just let everything get so bad they are forced to confront the wretched failure of the society they have wrought.

          What’s going to happen is in a few years the balance of power will shift, saving them from the worst consequences of the failures of far right policy, and they will learn nothing.

          Nope. Let’s not any more. Let them fucking have it. Let them fucking destroy everything just so, at the end, they can appreciate that the devastation and misery surrounding them is a monument to their own stupidity and failure.

          I sort of understand Trumpists right now. I’m so angry that I’m willing to endure misery as long as I know it’s hurting them, too.

          • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            9 hours ago

            Let’s just let everything get so bad they are forced to confront the wretched failure of the society they have wrought.

            They never will.

          • DancingBear@midwest.social
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            18 hours ago

            I highly doubt Trump will do anything that would destabilize the stock market, never forget how self centered he is although his cronies hmmm 🤔

            • MagicShel@lemmy.zip
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              17 hours ago

              I mean 30% tariffs across the board will be fucking devastating to our economy. I don’t know if that will hurt stock prices themselves, but as Americans become poorer, I’m not sure where they will make up the difference. Fire more people, I guess?

              • Joeffect@lemmy.world
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                15 hours ago

                Stocks can only go up don’t you know the whole thing is basically rigged at this point… But seriously everyone made so much money the last time he was president… Except the people who didn’t and all that was basically wiped away with inflation so I expect that to happen again this time …

            • SybilVane@lemmy.ca
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              12 hours ago

              Becoming Russia’s toy won’t exactly help matters along in that regard. Plus then there’s the tariffs which he has no idea how they work.

      • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        Trump is a symptom. Don’t get me wrong, the sooner he succumbs to his decades long suicide-by-cheeseburger the better, but shit isn’t going to get better once he finally fucks off.

        After seeing him in action for 4 years and hearing all the Nazi shit he’s said since, the average voter decided they like him even more than they did the first time - they fucking love that evil shit, and that’s the problem. When Trump is gone, some other evil fucker will step into the spotlight and the 73 million Nazis that voted to burn our country down will just focus their support over to the new guy.

        And it’s not going away with boomers or any other generation either. I had high hopes for Z, but it turns out a lot of them are little Nazis too.

        Humans are trash, and we’ll continue to live in a dumpster until we’re extinct.

  • PunnyName@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    Call me melodramatic, but I’m honestly surprised there aren’t roving bands of armed white dudes with trucker hats and wrap-around sunglasses in every neighborhood at this point. Maybe Jan 21, but I won’t be alive to know.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      988 is the national suicide prevention hotline and it is going 24 hours a day. But even if you won’t call it, let me tell you a story. It is a story I have never told before and only the people who were there know it happened:

      10 years ago, I was diagnosed with atypical trigeminal neuralgia. It is known as the suicide disease because of the intensity of the pain. I was also on various opioid medications that a doctor was putting me on in the hopes of helping me (none did) and I apparently have some sort of reaction to opioids that makes me pretty psychotic if I take them for more than a week.

      Anyway, I got in a big fight with my mother while I was visiting her and I decided to hang myself.

      I won’t go into the specific details, but let’s say that I was saved by a light fixture that was not very well anchored to the ceiling.

      And almost every day since then I have regretted it. No matter how bad things have gotten, I realized all the people who would have been hurt by me doing it and I have yet to get over that guilt. Maybe I never will.

      I firmly believe that there is no afterlife. This is all we’ve got. Do not check out early even if it’s hard now. It might not be as hard later. Eventually I found the right medication and I am not in the severe pain I used to be in most of the time.

      Meanwhile, now I’m dealing with another major illness and again, it’s been really hard. But this time I’m sticking with it and I’m going to get better.

      Similarly, I had a plan before Trump won in case he did and now it’s being put into action. It’s not too late for you to make one. One that doesn’t involve what you’re thinking of doing.

        • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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          7 hours ago

          There’s a balance. You need to stay informed, but you need to keep yourself from spiraling.

          Edit: To be clear, I’m not suggesting anyone totally tune out forever. Just take breaks as you need and get back in.

          • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            8 hours ago

            Seems to be becoming less and less possible.

            And I fear that it will just allow things to escalate and become so much worse because people are deciding to “check out” because their privilege allows them to (at least at that moment).

            • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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              7 hours ago

              I feel you with regards to the privilege aspect, and it’s definitely been something I’ve been conscious of in this (being white, straight passing, cis ish male). But it’s important to remember that it’s not all or nothing. If it’s too much, tune out for a bit, take a breather, then tune back in. It’s not like you have to permanently tune out forever or commit to stay engaged 24/7/365.

              If you’re actively having like anxiety/panic attacks or sobbing about things there’s nothing you can do in that moment to help people. It’s sort of like the spoons metaphor thing. You’re just totally out of spoons. Take some time to fill your spoons back up and get back in.

              I’ll edit my other comment to make my point a little more clear that I’m not advocating a “lay down and rot” type of response.

    • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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      13 hours ago

      Giving up gives them power, and leaves others behind who you could help. Yeah, it sucks he won, but it’s not over. Don’t let them take everything for free.

      Thats not mentioning there are certainly people who care about you in the world. You may not even understand what you mean to them.

      If you’re contemplating suicide over this, seek help. It’s not worth it.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      but I won’t be alive to know.

      Never kill yourself for something that’s somebody else’s fault.

      • PunnyName@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        Meh

        I don’t want to deal with 4 years of constant panic attacks every day. Again.

        • theangryseal@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          Like others said, anti anxiety meds, avoid the internet. Also, get yourself a musical instrument and dive into creativity. You won’t be sad that you did that.

          I’d hate to have to tell your ghost that a week after you died there was a plane crash that changed everything or something.

          You don’t know what’s going to happen and I promise you, you’ll die eventually if you just hang in there.

          If I had pulled the trigger when I wanted to in 2017, I would have missed the most wonderful time of my life so far and by a long shot.

          I still have the only gun I’ve ever owned. I’m probably gonna bury that bad boy soon, give it a little grave. Can’t sell it, it’s one of the worst reviewed firearms made in the last 40 years and no one who cares would dream of buying it.

          Good luck.

  • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.zip
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    20 hours ago

    Republicans: “Well, who else is gonna work the fields after we deport all the Mexicans?”

  • Chozo@fedia.io
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    21 hours ago

    We saw an uptick in this sort of bullshit back in 2016, too. Racists and bigots feel emboldened under Trump. Get ready for more targeted harassment like this, and for nothing to be done about it.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    I think the only correct response to a text message like this is:

    “Thank you for scheduling in advance, see you there!”

    Followed by photos of large guns.