LODI, Calif. — First on ABC10, a mother in Lodi is speaking out after her child received a disturbing text message that appears to be part of larger trend across the nation that has the attention of the FBI.
Tasha Dunham was shocked to see this message telling her daughter that she’s been selected to be a house slave and to report to a plantation.
“She was in her room getting ready to go to basketball practice," Dunham said. "She comes out, and I’m thinking that she’s going to tell me that she’s getting ready to leave to go to practice, and she’s like mom look at this text message I got on my phone.”
Dunham was shocked when she read the text message and immediately became upset.
Federal law enforcement officials said they're not sure who’s sending the messages, or if they're coming from inside or outside the United States. They confirm that the racist text messages were sent to the phones of Black and brown Americans in more than a dozen states and somehow the senders have the right names.
“First I was very concerned because it said her name specifically, and at that point we didn’t know that it was something that other people had experienced," Dunham said. "It was only black people that were getting this and only young adults that were getting it from middle school to college age. And so that was something that was very concerning to me because it seemed like it was targeting a very specific demographic.”
The texts come from unfamiliar numbers, telling people they’ve been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation, "To be ready at a certain time, and be prepared to be searched upon arrival." Dunham’s daughter was told to report to North Carolina.
“Even the address in the text message said something about North Carolina the area code was our area code. It came from a 209 number which is a local phone number," Dunham said.
Some of the texts were sent through a free service called "Text Now." The company said it has disabled the anonymous accounts.
“I just think we have to stay very aware of what’s happening in our community," Dunham said. "Stay in touch with each other, and take attacks like this seriously. I would like for whoever is behind this to be held accountable so that they’re not spreading fear.”
The FBI released the statement saying: “The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the justice department and other federal authorities on the matter. As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities.”
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