After allegedly posting a “slave for sale” ad to Craigslist, a 14-year-old boy from Naperville, Illinois, has been charged with a hate crime, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. Making matters even more horrifying, the Craigslist ad (which has since been removed) in question included a picture of a black classmate.
On Nov. 14, the freshman student allegedly took the photo of his peer, who was sitting at a lunch table, and then posted it to Craigslist with the caption, “Slave for sale (Naperville)” along with a racial slur. Both teenagers are students at Naperville Central High School. CBS News reports that the teen who is allegedly responsible for the post is white.
The teen faces charges including two counts of a hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct, according to the Naperville police. The two hate crime counts are felonies and the disorderly conduct count is a misdemeanor. Naperville police said they learned about the post four days after it went live and began investigating it immediately.
CBS News reports that Harry Smith, the teenager’s defense attorney, claims the students were friends and that school authorities are addressing the incident with a suspension and apology.
"They used to be friends, they are not anymore. The moment he started teasing my son, calling him dumb, making fun of his skin color, saying ‘shut up slave’ last October," the black student’s mother, who has not been identified, told GWN News. "They are not friends anymore."
“He was the butt of jokes for days,” she told the Naperville Sun, stating other students approached him at school, saying, “I’ll buy you for a dollar.”
"This was a despicable and extremely offensive post that is not at all reflective of the caring, welcoming community that our department serves and protects every day," Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall said in a statement.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin spoke similarly, noting, "The allegations against the juvenile in this case are beyond disturbing. Hate crimes have no place in our society and will not be tolerated in DuPage County.”
The teen appeared in DuPage County juvenile court on Wednesday morning. While the student is due back in court on Dec. 18, the judge has ordered that the two teens are not to have contact while at school. The high schooler has not been publicly identified because he is a juvenile.
“The narrative surrounding Naperville recently is NOT reflective of who we are as a community,” Mayor Steve Chirico said in a statement posted to Facebook. “I want us to be known and applauded for being the caring, inclusive, and welcoming community I see firsthand every day, not as a place where hate lives.”
Wondering why Naperville, Illinois, might sound familiar? As Daily Kos previously covered, Naperville is home to the Buffalo Wild Wings where customers allege they were asked to switch tables because of a racist customer. As the customers explained it, they were asked to move because a white man didn’t want to sit near black people. The staff members involved have since been fired, according to the restaurant.