Thursday 21 October 2021

Illinois high school student who posted racist 'slave for sale' ad on Craigslist with a photo of a black classmate in 2019 is sentenced to probation and 100 hours of community service

 An Illinois high school student who posted a 'slave for sale' ad on Craigslist of a black classmate two years ago has pleaded guilty to a hate crime

An unnamed male Naperville Central High School was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service after he posted a racist ad on Craigslist of an African American schoolmate in November 2019 when they were both 14-year-old freshmen.

The ad showed a photo of an African American student under the words 'Slave for sale (Naperville)' with the caption 'Hardworking thick n**** slave. For 'da' low'  

The racist ad was posted to Craiglist but was heavily circulated across social media, including on Snapchat. 

The racist ad was posted to Craiglists but was heavily circulated across social media, including on Snapchat

The racist ad was posted to Craiglists but was heavily circulated across social media, including on Snapchat

A Naperville Central High School (pictured) was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service after posting a racist ad on Craigslist

 A Naperville Central High School (pictured) was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service after posting a racist ad on Craigslist

After pleading guilty to hate crime and disorderly conduct charges the student, who remains unnamed because he is a juvenile, was ordered by Judge Anthony Coco to undergo any counseling deemed necessary.  

State Attorney Robert B. Berlin said in a statement that the student's actions were unacceptable and detrimental.\

'Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society and will not be tolerated, regardless of the accused's age,' Berlin said. 'Studies show that the victims of hate crimes can suffer from depression, increased anxiety, low self-esteem and insecurity among other things.'

Naperville Central High School principal Bill Wiebrook assured parents in 2019 the racist incident was not reflective of the school's values

Naperville Central High School principal Bill Wiebrook assured parents in 2019 the racist incident was not reflective of the school's values

'Everyone deserves the right to feel safe and welcome in our communities and my office will continue to charge and prosecute anyone, regardless of age, who engages in this type of behavior,' he added.  

When the ad first circulated in 2019 Naperville Central High School Principal Bill Wiebrook sent an email to parents saying administrators became 'aware of a racially insensitive electronic post and worked as quickly as possible to investigate and address this with the students involved.'

He also assured parents the racist incident was not reflective of the school's values.  

'The sentiment being displayed is not reflective of NCHS,' he continued. 'We hold our students accountable for their behavior, which includes appropriate disciplinary consequences.

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