A teenager in Naperville, Illinois could face jail time for a racist ad that involved one of his Black classmates.
On Nov. 20, the White teen appeared in a juvenile courtroom to face hate crime charges, according to the Chicago Tribune. Last week, the teen allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist to racially harass and bully a Black classmate at Naperville Central High.
The Craigslist item featured a photo of the Black teen and the caption, “slave for sale.” Police were notified of the post a few days after it was made and began an investigation. Following the post, the teen was arrested and charged with two hate crime counts, both of which are felonies, and one count of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
The student charged is due back in court next month, with the judge ordering that the student and the alleged victim have no contact while both are in school.
Naperville is a town of 143,000 and is 73 percent White and only five percent Black.
“The allegations against the juvenile in this case are beyond disturbing,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin said during the court hearing. “Hate crimes have no place in our society and will not be tolerated in DuPage County.”
