this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2024
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The chat was allegedly created by a group of 8th-grade students and involved some of the juveniles expressing “hateful and racist comments" and a mock slave auction.

Six juveniles in Massachusetts were charged in a racial online bullying incident that involved "heinous" language, threats of "violence toward people of color" and a mock slave auction, the district attorney for Hampden County said.

Students from Southwick, about 104 miles southwest of Boston, allegedly participated in a "hateful, racist online" Snapchat discussion between Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said in a statement on Facebook.

Gulluni said he became aware of the incident on Feb. 15 and immediately called on the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit to investigate.

On Thursday, at the conclusion of the investigation, the district attorney authorized members of the Detective Unit and the Chief of the Juvenile Court Unit to pursue criminal charges against the juveniles.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (4 children)

As disgusting as this event was, I’m not sure pressing charges against 8th graders is good practice. These are kids, they need education, not the criminal justice system.

Ironically, this is the same practice that has caused incredible harm to students of color. But not all equality is equally good.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Massachusetts is very puritan to this day. This punishment makes sense when you consider the state it happened in.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I’m afraid you don’t understand what’s happening here. Pressing charges is what leads to actual budgeting to develop and engage education to improve the situation for everyone involved, including the perpetrators.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

Is it? I have not heard of any such process, can you provide more information?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I couldn't agree more. This will ruin these kids lives over stupid kid shit

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

It’s a tough issue because I’ve also seen similar behavior defended as “it’s just kids being kids” to dismiss the seriousness of what happened and deflect from any corrective actions. This is not healthy or harmless behavior for kids to be engaging in and it does need to be addressed. I just don’t think the courts are the best tool for the job.

Unfortunately, our society has largely failed to develop any rehabilitative or restorative forms of justice and so we often get stuck between doing nothing or turning to state violence. Neither of which is going to make the situation better.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

How is it ruining their lives? They haven't even been tried yet, let alone sentenced.

These are the kids who will turn into the adults that will ruin, and end, many lives. Early intervention is the best option.

Not that the US criminal justice system is good at this kind of thing but ... they're white, middle-class kids. The chance of them getting a custodial is way, way lower than if one of them accused a Black kid of, say, stealing their rucksack.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

Because our legal system is awful and not at all focused on rehabilitation, it's all punishment and making minor offenders into life long felons. You're acting like this is unheard of

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (2 children)

What is a "mock slave auction"?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago

Seems kind of self-explanatory...?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago

Joking about setting up a venue in which white people bid on black chattel slaves. Literal human trafficking and insanely racist. It's what Americans did in the Antebellum (pre-Civil War) South.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Well at least we're not teaching proper American history to these kids, or they may have realized that what they were doing was monstrous and felt guilty about it. We can't be making white kids feel guilty, y'all.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Where did they get all of that from? I'm guessing the racist apple doesn't fall far from the racist tree.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Other than a few pockets of blue, Western Massachusetts is very rural and leans conservative. I try to avoid going out that far if I can help it.

These kids would be right at home in the South.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Southwick is basically Connecticut. It's literally the little weird bump at the bottom of Massachusetts (called the "Southwick Jog"). It is also, unsurprisingly, one of the most Trump-leaning areas in the entire state.

WESTERN Mass is actually deeply blue like eastern Mass. It's really central Mass and then the area around the Southwick Jog that are the "pockets" of red. I.e., https://media.wbur.org/wp/2020/11/1105_Mass-Map-1000x531.png

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Boston has had its share of racism issues too.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 7 months ago

The district attorney initiated forward-looking steps to "prevent future harm, encourage empathy, and build stronger communities free of hate."

They include a curriculum around hate and bullying being delivered to the Southwick school community and a partnership with the attorney general's office to create a program that addresses and remediates the harmful forces of bigotry, racism and bullying in schools.

I appreciate that the response, at least, wasn't "Crucify these specific kids and ignore the underlying symptoms".