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    • Fort Collins police and PSD investigate racist texts sent to black students
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    Fort Collins police and PSD investigate racist texts sent to black students

    Sakege Posted on

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    Fort Collins police and the Poudre School District are investigating racist text messages sent to two black high school students Wednesday night.

    Monique Mance told the Coloradoan on Friday that her 14- and 16-year-old daughters, who attend Rocky Mountain High School, received the text messages.

    Screenshots of the messages show references to the girls being “selected to pick cotton” on behalf of President-elect Donald Trump and “Donald Trump’s 2025 Project.”

    Text messages to both girls said they would be picked up and taken to plantations.

    The text addressed to Mance’s eldest daughter called her by name and referenced a plantation in Littleton, Colorado, according to the screenshot. When she responded “na” and “naur” (slang for no), the anonymous texter said, “there will be no resistance, honey,” and “there will be consequences if you continue to resist.”

    The text addressed to Mance’s youngest daughter called her an insult and made reference to the color of her skin.

    The messages came from unknown numbers, Mance said.

    Mance said the messages differ from how his family has been treated in Fort Collins after moving here from California two years ago.

    From USA TODAY: 1 in 3 American students experience racism at school. This is how it has affected mental health.

    “I bragged to my whole family about how nice it is here,” Mance said. “It’s beautiful. We feel safe. My kids are walking to school for the first time here. People take care of each other.”

    When her daughters told her about the text messages Thursday morning, Mance said she was shocked and quickly reported them to PSD, Fort Collins Police Services and the FBI.

    The FBI told the Coloradoan that it is aware of “offensive and racist text messages sent to people across the country” and is in contact with the Justice Center and other federal authorities.

    Texts from Fort Collins similar to those sent nationwide

    the texts are similar to anonymous messages sent to black students in several states, USA TODAY reported Thursday. The messages varied in details but had similar themes: telling recipients that they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”

    Authorities began investigating the messages after the reports came in. from students at Clemson University in South Carolina; Ohio State; he University of Alabama and other schools. Not all recipients of the reported texts were at the university, according to USA TODAY.

    Mary Banks, who has a daughter in Columbus, Ohio, told USA TODAY that her 16-year-old daughter received one of the hateful text messages Wednesday night that included her full name. Some of her daughter’s friends in the Columbus City School District received similar messages, she said.

    PSD confirmed it was actively investigating texts reported to Rocky Mountain High School school resource officers on Thursday.

    Fort Collins Police Services also confirmed they received a report of two local high school students receiving racist tests, although they could not confirm that the recipients were Mance’s daughters, citing protected information, according to police spokesman J. Gilmore. .

    Given the spate of similar text messages being sent in other states, Gilmore urged anyone who receives such messages to quickly report them to Fort Collins Police Services by calling their non-emergency line, 970-419-3273, or using your online reporting system.

    If you believe you are a victim or witness of a hate crime, you can also report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

    Resources Available for Youth of Color in Larimer County

    When contacted about resources available to youth of color in light of racist text messages circulating in the U.S., the BIPOC Alliance, based in Larimer County, invited youth to join its Dandelions Rising program, a youth leadership and liberation curriculum that mentors children ages 7 to 18. -years-old, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and children of color, “to understand who they are and how they exist as racialized and gendered beings in their respective communities,” according to The BIPOC Alliance. Dandelions Rising Programming can be found on the BIPOC Alliance website.

    Community members can also contact the BIPOC Alliance via email ([email protected]) for additional resources and support.

    USA TODAY reporters Kayla Jimenez, Will Carless, Jonathan Limehouse, Laura A. Bischoff and Terry Benjamin II contributed to this report.

    This story was updated to change the video.

    Sakege
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