Police arrest Charlottesville teen in connection with racist death threat against minority students

Police have arrested a 17-year-old in connection with a racist death threat made against black and Latinx students in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Charlottesville Chief of Police RaShall Brackney said at a news conference Friday afternoon that the teen, who was not named, identifies as Portuguese and is a resident of Albemarle County.” Officials had previously shut down nine schools in the area, affecting more than 4,300 students. According to NBC News,

Authorities said during their investigation into the threat, which referred to the “ethnic cleansing” of black and Hispanic high schools students, they learned who posted the message on 4chan and executed a search warrant for the teen’s arrest.

“He faces a felony charge of threats to commit serious bodily harm to persons on school property and a misdemeanor charge of harassment by computer,” NBC said. Dr. Rosa Atkins, school superintendent, said the 17-year-old is not a student at Charlottesville High School. ”In Charlottesville and around the globe,” she said, “we stand firmly in stating there are not ‘very fine people’ standing on both sides of this issue.” That was an unmistakable reference to Donald Trump, who has consistently failed to condemn white supremacy because he is a white supremacist.

NPR reports that Charlottesville is still trying to recover from the death of activist Heather Heyer at the hands of a white supremacist nearly two years ago. In truth, we are all still grieving, as white supremacy remains an ever-increasing scourge that has more recently taken the lives of dozens of innocents in New Zealand. That country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has not only rejected hate, but has also shown leadership by beginning meaningful legislative efforts to try to ensure another massacre like this one never happens again. Meanwhile, the U.S. leader has used his energy to defend his favorite Fox News personalities, one of whom is also a favorite of white supremacists.