Metro Detroiters among those who received racist texts post-election

Several Michigan residents were among the many men, women and students of color who received a wave of racist text messages invoking slavery following the 2024 election — prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.

The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several other states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. 

WDET received screenshots of the text messages from several local students who received them — among them, a middle schooler from Grosse Pointe. The messages generally used a similar tone, but varied in wording, focusing on the minority status of the people being harassed.

Some of the messages instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others didn’t include a location. Others mentioned the incoming presidential administration.

The widespread incidents are still under investigation by the FBI, with support from the Federal Communications Commission and local law enforcement. The Ohio Attorney General’s office also said it was investigating the messages.

One Black student at Hope College who received a text message, who asked to be anonymous, told WDET that she believes Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election emboldened white supremacists and other bigoted individuals to participate in this type of behavior.

“When the Democrats won back in 2020, America became a more woke country and I feel like the reds felt the need to hide,” she said. “So Trump winning and the Republicans winning practically everything just gave them an opening to go back to the way things were.”

She also suggested that social media apps have made it a trend of sorts for trolls to send ignorant messages, and how misogyny could affect the disproportionate number of women being attacked.

“Honestly I feel like it’s stuff that people are picking up. I think apps like TikTok are spreading the information and giving these racists ideas,” she said. “I feel like it’s a lot of younger guys doing this trend too, because men tend to feed off that energy and want to feel powerful.”

The student emphasized her fear for her privacy and safety, if unknown people can find her phone number and are now willing to be so blatant with their racism.

David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that they aren’t sure who is behind the messages but estimated they had been sent to more than 10 states, including most Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma and even the District of Columbia. 

The leaders of several other civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”

Associated Press writers  Ayanna Alexander, Ali Swenson and Gary Fields contributed to this report.