Racist texts of enslavement reported in PA, other states

(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)
Black Americans in Pennsylvania and several other states are being sent text messages saying they will be enslaved and sent to plantations.
Screenshots of messages about being “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation” since Wednesday have gone viral online from users in Alabama, Virginia and Ohio.
Several Dauphin County residents in Pennsylvania have said they also received the texts as early as Tuesday, according to a report by CBS 21.
The messages appear to be sent using anonymous texting services, like TextNow, which allows users to create temporary phone numbers to send out the texts, according to The Crimson White, the student-run newspaper for the University of Alabama.
Bucks County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Manuel Gamiz said Thursday afternoon that he was not aware of any similar reports locally.
The texts appear to follow one basic script with minor changes.
Some people reporting the messages to news outlets and online have said their messages included their first names and tell them to “be prepared to leave your home” on a specific date and time.
Some versions say the person will be “picked up” by “executive slaves” and assigned specific work groups.
In Ohio, a version of the message ends with, “Sincerely, A TRUMP SUPPORTER,” according to a report from The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.
Some reports indicate the messages began spreading shortly after the 2024 election was called for former President Donald Trump early Wednesday.
More:Where Trump turned things around in Bucks County, the most purple county in key PA
Younger Black Americans appear to be the targets of the hate messages.
Social media and news reports say many of the recipients have been college students, leading to outraged parents contacting higher education and local police departments to demand action.
In the Dauphin County reports, residents said the messages were also sent to students in the Central Dauphin School District.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General couldn’t comment on any potential investigations into the text messages but they “are in contact with law enforcement partners.”
“The Office of Attorney General is aware of mass text messages circulating in the Commonwealth and across the country. Our office strongly condemns this type of malicious conduct, which serves no purpose but to spread hate and promote divisiveness.”