DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus 6 eighth graders face criminal charges over 'hateful and racist' online chat: DA

All six have been charged with threat to commit a crime, officials said.

Six Massachusetts eighth graders face criminal charges in connection with "hateful and racist comments" in a group chat that allegedly included threats and a mock slave auction, officials said.

The group chat unfolded on Snapchat on Feb. 8 into the early morning hours of Feb. 9 among multiple juveniles in Southwick, a suburb of Springfield, according to the Hampden County District Attorney's Office.

Several students "expressed hateful and racist comments, including notions of violence toward people of color, racial slurs, derogatory pictures and videos, and a mock slave auction directed at two juveniles known to them," Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said at a press briefing on Thursday announcing the charges following a monthlong investigation.

The chat was reported to school authorities in Southwick on Feb. 9, Gulluni said. Southwick police were also notified. Gulluni said he became aware of the incident on Feb. 15 and launched an investigation into the use of "hate speech and race-based bullying."

As a result of the investigation, six juveniles now face charges, Gulluni said. All are eighth graders at the Southwick Regional School, aged 13 or 14, he said.

"There is no question that the alleged behavior in this case of these six juveniles is vile, cruel and contemptible," Gulluni said. "Seeing it, and facing the reality that these thoughts, that this ugliness can exist within middle school students here in this community in 2024 is discouraging, unsettling and deeply frustrating."

All six have been charged with threat to commit a crime, according to the district attorney's office. One has additionally been charged with interference with civil rights and witness interference, while another has also been charged with interference with civil rights, the district attorney said. Their names are not being released because they are juveniles, according to the district attorney.

"With this I intend to be very clear: Hatred and racism have no place in this community, and where this behavior becomes criminal, I will ensure that we act -- and act with swift resolve, as we did here -- to uncover it and bring it to the light of justice," Gulluni said.

Several students, including those charged, were immediately suspended from the Southwick Regional School on Feb. 12 over the chat, according to the district attorney's office. Several students were formally suspended several days later, including two for 25 days and one for 45 days, the office said.

ABC News has reached out to the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District for comment on the charges.

In a statement to Boston ABC affiliate WCVB last month, Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Willard said the school district sent an email to the school community on Feb. 12 informing them of a "highly inappropriate and racist conversation on Snapchat that involved students at Southwick Regional School."

"We can assure the community that the District does issue consequences in accordance with our school code of conduct in these types of circumstances," Willard said in her statement. "As stated in our original email to the community, the District firmly believes that racism and discrimination have no place in our school community."

A Springfield woman told WCVB that her 13-year-old daughter was one of the targets of the alleged mock slave auction.

"If they have this level of hate in them now at this tender age of 13 and 14, it worries me," she told the station last month. "I know this is not something we can just walk away from."


https://abcnews.go.com/US/eighth-gr...F5q8cbt23Sd-PyBGf32Brj9hE9-h8B-JKkNYaCfI

There's a lot to unpack here. At what point does free speech cross the line to being a crime or criminal behavior? And before anyone jumps to conclusions I have no idea of whether these students come from Republican or Democrat households. What I can say is that children aren't born racist. It is a learned belief and behavior. Whether that comes from their parents, their piers at school or the internet.

This is an example why I think that both race and LGBTQ topics should be talked about in our schools. Not to indoctrinate children which seems to be a popular thing that gets repeated, but instead to teach our children that all people deserve to be treated with respect, as equals and that there's nothing wrong with others because they're different than you.

This cycle must be broken and obviously if our children aren't educated about it these are the kind of results we will see more and more of.

I can attest that your perspective changes significantly when you find your kids name on a "kill" list.

Happened about 20 years ago, and they tossed the kid out of the school system. But it is mind numbing.

Sickening, twisted yes. Criminal?

If actual plans were being discussed, sure, and maybe they were and we simply don't have the details. Something tells me they weren't actually going to sell those 2 kids.

Middle school boys talk about doing this or that of a sexual nature to girls in their class and possibly some teachers. That doesn't mean they are planning a gang bang.

Whaaaat?

Oh yeah locker room talk like this is acceptable to GOPers. nevermind.

Dude, acceptable or not, it isn't criminal. Go take a long walk and think about it.

Kids aren't born this way, so where do they get it.

We’ll see. You said it yourself, we simply don’t have the details. So we both can take a long walk until we do.

I don't think we have all of the details. I was hoping for a little more detail from posters. As in when and where do you think it crosses the line into being criminal? Just how much nastiness and hatred can one spew before that line is crossed? So does telling or saying you're going to rape a woman or sell human beings not constitute a threat? Because it's obvious that threatening a crime against someone is a criminal offense in Massachusetts.


Or are you saying it shouldn't be illegal to threaten committing a crime against others?

I don't think you can answer that question...well, you can, free speech is a real thing.

That said, as long as some DA wants to press charges, even on questionable bounds, it crosses the bounds you mentioned. Even in this case, what crimes were threatened as is read in the article?

I don't agree with these kids and they need some talking to, but I don't think simply calling someone a N or BS'n about some slave auction is criminal.

As I got in to with my example, do comments such as those reach criminal level?

I don't know the depth of their comments. But if it gets to the extent you are threatening to do bodily harm to someone I do indeed fell that constitutes a crime. There are limits to free speech. It's true you can say anything you want but once you cross a certain line their are consequences. Some people seem to think you can get away with saying anything, anywhere, any time with no boundaries. And I guess we do see certain examples where that is true.

But no, you can't simply go around and threaten people with violence without consequences.

I agree. I don't think I insinuated anything else.

I don't agree with any of the speech, but talking about conducting an auction for a few other students, that's
just stupid kids saying stupid things. As I indicated earlier, if actual threats were made, that's a whole different deal. It has to be taken seriously and can be a crime.

Even if not, consequences can still be in play. Schools can suspend students for such behavior without something rising to criminal levels. Parents can sanction their kids.

I believe that if parents were doing a good job these things would never have a happened in the first place. It's a prime example why our children should be taught tolerance and that all people should be treated equally regardless of race, sex or gender.