Racist Bullying: Aledo Students Punished for ‘Slave Trade’ Posts
A group of ninth-grade students in Aledo ISD have been disciplined after it was discovered they set up a group chat and pretended to sell their black classmates. The chat, labeled “Slave trade,” contained racial slurs including the “N” word.
Officials said the students attend Daniel Ninth Grade Campus and were communicating on Snapchat and playing a “game” that put prices on classmates of color and trading them.
In the auction, one student was worth $100, while another was only worth $1 because they he didn’t like his hair.
This story hit the press as racial tensions across the country continue to rise. Protests swarmed as in Minnesota as another black man was killed this week during a routine traffic stop, and the trial against George Floyd’s killer trudges on.
Aledo Independent School District leaders sent a note home to parents and have posted a statement on their website.
The statement said that an immediate and thorough investigation was launched that involved law enforcement. They determined that racial harassment and cyber bullying had occurred and assigned disciplinary consequences in accordance the Student Code of Conduct.
To date, no criminal consequences have been announced. However, cyberbullying and harassment are illegal in Texas.
Cyberbullying is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up 180 days in jail and a maximum $2,000 fine. The offense becomes a Class A misdemeanor, one level higher if the offender has a previous conviction for cyberbullying or if the victim was under 18 years old and targeted with the intent to make the victim commit suicide or hurt themselves.
Cyberbullies can also face expulsion or be sent to alternative school.
If any students is arrested and they are under the age of 17, they would be handled through the juvenile system.
Could a defense exist?
Law enforcement will need to prove the identity of the alleged offenders. It is not enough that a post came from a specific social media profile. They need to confirm the person on the other end of the post is one in the same. With automatic log-ins due to saved passwords, it would be easy to see how seemingly innocent exchanges of phones or tablets between students could lead to incriminating posts that were not the words or intentions of the alleged offender.
Identity issues aside, some parents have said the discipline was not enough and some have even called the incident a hate crime. Parents are planning on showing up at the next school board meeting to demand the community do more to address racism.
Crackdown on Counterfeit Purses, Shoes at Worlds Largest Flea Market
Two women were arrested last week on accusations of selling fake designer purses, shoes, sunglasses and caps at the First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, which is located about 60 miles east of Dallas.
The arrests stemmed from an undercover investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, a federal agency tasked with keeping counterfeit products off U.S. streets.
Over 1,000 counterfeit luxury items, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Hermes, with a retail value of $1.3 million were confiscated. In addition to federal agents, local, county and state authorities also played crucial roles in the seizure.
The women will be prosecuted by the Van Zandt County District Attorney’s Office.
They are facing charges of trademark counterfeiting. Under Texas law, trademark counterfeiting occurs when a person copies a company’s mark and uses it with the intent to sell, advertise or manufacture a product or service. The punishment depends on the retail value of the item or service.
One of the women is facing a third-degree felony, which applies when the retail value is between $30,000 and $150,000. The other women is reportedly facing a state jail felony, which applies when the retail value is between $2500 to $30,000.
Officials said the crackdown on counterfeit goods is an effort to maintain the integrity of the First Monday trade days, which began in 1850 and has become the largest flea market in the world.
The crackdown should also serve as a caution to others who sell counterfeit designer items from their homes or on the Internet.
