14-Year-Old Faces Felony Hate Crime Charges for Posting 'Slave for Sale' Craigslist Ad

"Anyone, regardless of age, accused of such disgraceful actions will be charged accordingly."

Authorities arrested a 14-year-old white male student at Naperville High School in Naperville, Illinois, and charged him with committing a hate crime.

What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a "slave for sale" ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so.

But now the police are involved, and the teen faces two felony hate crime charges as well as a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.

The teen was in court on Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune:

Prosecutors called the allegations "serious and aggravating," and said the alleged actions put the victim's safety at risk. The hate crime counts are juvenile felonies and the disorderly charge is a misdemeanor.

[Defense attorney Harry] Smith said the student is serving an in-school suspension and his client and the victim have a meeting scheduled before the school principal where the youth will formally apologize. Smith described the pair as friends.

State's Attorney Robert Berlin issued a statement Wednesday in which he called the allegations "beyond disturbing."

"Hate crimes have no place in our society and will not be tolerated in DuPage County," Berlin said. "Anyone, regardless of age, accused of such disgraceful actions will be charged accordingly."

For the authorities to charge someone with a hate crime, there must be an underling crime. Simply holding or expressing hateful views is not illegal—indeed, it is protected by the First Amendment. Prosecutors can consider hate crime charges only when hate is the motivating factor in the commission of a crime, such as assault or vandalism.

Since disorderly conduct is the only other item here, the hate crime charges presumably stem from that. Disorderly conduct is often a broad category of offense, and such is certainly the case under Illinois law: "A person commits disorderly conduct when he or she knowingly does any act in such unreasonable matter as to alarm or disturb another and to provoke a breach of the peace." The disorderly conduct charge is a misdemeanor, but the hate crime charges are felonies, making this an extremely serious criminal matter for a 14-year-old kid.

I don't know what was going through his head when he posted the Craigslist ad—news article suggest the two boys were former friends—and I do not object at all to the school itself taking punitive action. But should the cops really be arresting 14-year-olds, and subjecting them to life-derailing felony charges, for incidents of nonviolent bullying? School is supposed to teach young people to behave responsibly, not shuffle them into the criminal justice system at the first sign of trouble. This is far too harsh an outcome, and it shows one of the dangers of having hate crime laws on the books at all: They give cops more opportunities to overcharge.

Comments

[John]

Hopefully he has a good attorney and will challenge this and get it thrown out and then sue the miserable stupid fucks who brought the charges.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Seems like a pretty clear 1a case to me. Hopefully this doesn't affect employment or anything later in life.

[Wearenotperfect]

I agree and then the black individual can turn around and sue the white individual for defamation. I don't know, whatever!

[SheFlungDung]

Where’s the defamation?

[Ben of Houston]

This doesn't rise to defamation because it's an obvious falsehood.

It was exceptionally rude, but Manners aren't legal requirements.
This is a matter for the school and parents to work out, not the authorities.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

Jethus Christ

[Kitcat-007]

How many needle marks do you have to show for your FREEZE DRIED BRAIN? SOMETHING is seriously WRONG with you. Or are you just ANOTHER paid TROLL?

[Kitcat-007]

@John ; How many needle marks do you have to show for your FREEZE DRIED BRAIN? SOMETHING is seriously WRONG with you. Or are you just ANOTHER paid TROLL?

[SheFlungDung]

LoL. You’re embarrassing yourself with your post. You should delete them.

[The Last Angry Man]

In poor taste and racist, but what of it? Being a racist with a tasteless sense of humor is not against the law. His school has already punished him appropriately. Hate crime? JFC the kid is 14 and is guilty at most of extremely poor judgement

[Last of the Shitlords]

Indeed. There are several takeaways here.

1. This is in no way a crime. He posted a tasteless, insulting, shitty ad. But it is not a crime.

2. This has nothing to do with school. Why are they involved? They don’t rule student’s lives outside of school.

3. The person that was the subject of the ad might considering suing him. Don’t know if he has a case, but that would appear to be the proper recourse for that person. Or do what boys usually do in cases like this, beat each other’s asses.

Beyond that, The Who,e thing is stupid. Including the kid who posted the ad.

[mad.casual]

What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a "slave for sale" ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so.

Bull. Fucking. Shit. If he did so without the classmate's knowledge you've got a leg to stand on. If the classmate was in on it, it's funny as all hell.

Considering Chicago's obviously biased and decidedly poor prosecution of high profile hate crimes in recent history, the idea that any civil action on hate crimes is a good idea should be dubious from the outset.

[Michael Ejercito]

It could still be fraudulent advertising.

But I agree that this can not be a hate crime.

[mad.casual]

It could still be fraudulent advertising.

Which means Craigslist and any bidders/buyers might have standing but that the school and the police can fuck off with their disorderly conduct-as-hatecrime bullshit.

[Fancylad]

I think the lesson they're trying to drive home is;
1. that teenage boys shouldn't have interracial friendships, and
2. that joking around like boys will do, is punishable by law

[Vernon Depner]

Public schools consider maleness a mental disorder.

[shawn_dude]

They were former friends when this happened, according to the article. Also, bullying, which this seems to be, is never "joking around like boys will do."

Regardless, I too agree the suspension was sufficient and the charges are bizarre.

[SheFlungDung]

As far as I am aware, false advertising is a civil matter and not a criminal one.

["set phasers to incel"]

"crushing a student with the power of the state is totes OK, because fuck the 1st amendment, SCOTUS says it doesn't apply"

[SQRLSY One]

How ya doin', Mary? Have your skills at German gotten any better?

["set phasers to incel"]

Hi Mary

Remember last night when you tried to rally the commentariat to your side and they told you that you're garbage?

Yeah. That's why you're so upset right now.

And it's "and" not "an"

[SQRLSY One]

“Dear Abby” is a personal friend of mine. She gets some VERY strange letters! For my amusement, she forwards some of them to me from time to time. Here is a relevant one:

Dear Abby, Dear Abby,
My life is a mess,
Even Bill Clinton won’t stain my dress,
I whinny seductively for the horses,
They tell me my picnic is short a few courses,
My real name is Mary Stack,
NO ONE wants my hairy crack!
On disability, I live all alone,
Spend desperate nights by the phone,
I found a man named Richard Decker,
But he won’t give me his hairy pecker!
Decker’s pecker is reserved for farm beasts,
I am beastly, yes! But my crack’s full of yeasts!

So Dear Abby, that’s just a poetic summary… You can read about the Love of my Life, Richard Decker, here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/11/farmers-kept-refusing-let-him-have-sex-with-their-animals-so-he-sought-revenge-authorities-say/#comments-wrapper
Farmers kept refusing to let him have sex with their animals. So he sought revenge, authorities say.
Decker the hairy pecker told me a summary of his story as below:
Decker: “Can I have sex with your horse?”
Farmer: “Lemme go ask the horse.”
Pause…
Farmer: “My horse says ‘neigh’!”
And THAT was straight from the horse’s mouth! I’m not horsin’ around, here, no mare!

So Decker the hairy pecker told me that, apparently never even realizing just HOW DEEPLY it hurt me, that he was all interested in farm beasts, while totally ignoring MEEE!!

So I thought maybe I could at least liven up my lonely-heart social life, by refining my common interests that I share with Richard Decker… I, too, like to have sex with horses!

But Dear Abby, the horses ALL keep on saying “neigh” to my whinnying sexual advances!
Some tell me that my whinnying is too whiny… Abby, I don’t know how to fix it!

Dear Abby, please don’t tell me “get therapy”… I can’t afford it on my disability check!

Now, along with my crack full of yeasts… I am developing anorexia! Some are calling me a “quarter pounder with cheese”, but they are NOT interested at ALL, in eating me!!! They will NOT snack on my crack!

What will I DO, Dear Abby?!?!?

-Desperately Seeking Horses, Men, or ANYTHING, in Fort Worth,
Yours Truly,
Mary Stack / Tulpa / Mary’s Period / “.” / Satan

["set phasers to incel"]

Yes, that was what they turned on you for. You even got called Hihn lolollol

You totally lost.

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

Hihn-

DIAF
Slowly.

/Everybody

[SQRLSY One]

SMC, YM-FB, AEEMOI!

Everyone, all together now! Cum together!

["set phasers to incel"]

Fuck off Mary.

[NOYB2]

That doesn't sound like Hihn; it must be someone with a different mental disorder.

[Last of the Shitlords]

Squirrely, you are one annoying piece of shit. It’s a crime that you live, and so many good people aren’t.

I pray for you to die in their place.

[John]

I agree. If the classmate was in on it, there is nothing the school should do about it.

[mad.casual]

Robby's shitty reporting being Robby's shitty reporting, can we assume the photo was taken and the ad was posted at school and/or during school hours?

[buybuydandavis]

" If the classmate was in on it, it’s funny as all hell."

The classmate is described as a "friend" in the article.

Did his friend press charges? If not, who is the purported victim to this crime?

If this was a joint effort, will his friend be prosecuted for a hate crime against himself?

[SheFlungDung]

I believe they are former friends and the victim is the black dude and the government.

[MoreFreedom]

I agree, this wasn't a crime, and probably was meant as a joke. I disagree with Robby; "I do not object at all to the school itself taking punitive action". At most, someone could suggest to him, that it could cause problems for him.

I'd really like to see these types of charges for people who interrupt speakers they don't like - which is real disorderly conduct. What this kid did, is typical kid stuff. No one was harmed, no one was threatened, and no one was put up for sale.

Instead, what we're seeing is a two tiered justice system: one set of rules for the plebes, and one set of rules for those working in government for the Democrats, who want to tell us how to think and act, and want to jail us if we don't, regardless if we harm anyone or not. Protesters shutting down conservative speakers get a pass, while offensive behavior (just in some liberals' minds) gets the full force of the government applied to ruin their lives.

[MoreFreedom]

And I say this, when it used to be Democrats defending freedom of speech - but no more. And to be fair, I should also mention the social conservatives, who get offended for acts that don't harm people, and want to punish those who do those kind of things (e.g. burning the flag, pornography, drug use, disrespecting authority, etc.). Yep, it's a two pronged battle against the liberal and social conservative nannies.

["set phasers to incel"]

"What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a "slave for sale" ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so."

You're human garbage Robbie. Literally, that take makes you human garbage.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Overly harsh, but there is a point to be made here. This is an adolescent. If you're going to do a story about hate crimes and this case, reference the boy as you must. But maybe stop piling on with the performative value judgments.

Honestly, it's like the state and journalists don't see these kids as people, prone to mistakes and in a vulnerable part of their development as individuals. Perhaps back off not only the over-prosecution but also the published signaling before we have more cases like Christian Adamek or Corey Walgren.

[Cyto]

He's 14.

He didn't leave poop in the kid's mailbox.

We're already on the plus side of things.

What is wrong with people? It is a kid. Kids do stupid stuff. This is unequivocally under the heading of stupid stuff a kid might do. Nowhere near the heading of "criminally dangerous and needs to be remedied in the legal system". Heck, if he had stolen the other kid's bike it probably shouldn't be a matter for law enforcement.

Can we please get back to a world where juveniles are juveniles and they are treated as if they were juveniles?

[shawn_dude]

Since when is suspending a bully not an appropriate response to juvenile behavior?

[Last of the Shitlords]

This has nothing to do with school? And schools don’t run students whole lives?

Well, maybe in your progtarded world where government is inserted into every part of people’s lives from cradle to grave.

[Red Team Forever]

I agree, Tulpa. Robby's so fucking stupid. He actually thinks blacks are real people, but you and I know better.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

1984; more and more each day. And it all amounts to a bunch of bureaucrats trying to out virtue one another lest they be accused of not "doing enough"

[Nemo Aequalis]

I think it was a great prank! Just look at all the pearl-clutchers it got riled up!

[Unicorn Abattoir]

That would be funny if they both did it to see who they could freak out.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...and I do not object at all to the school itself taking punitive action.

What does the school have to do with it?

[mad.casual]

What does the school have to do with it?

Hate crimes are a bad idea and the school to prison pipeline is a big concern but this example clearly demonstrates how schools enforcing anti-hate crime policies can't have any ill or unforeseen effects.

*returns to hitting himself in the head with a hammer*

[Eddy]

The "school to prison pipeline" is the idea that actual violent assaults shouldn't be punished or disciplined for fear that the poor little thug will get stigmatized - never mind the effects on the law-abiding students who want to learn.

Just goes to show the pendulum swings wildly from one side to another.

[mad.casual]

Just goes to show the pendulum swings wildly from one side to another.

From a certain obtuse angle a free swinging pendulum and an intentionally wielded morning star are indistinguishable.

[JoeJoetheIdiotCircusBoy]

that's actually not the idea of the "school to prison pipeline"...not even a little bit.

[Verbum Vincet]

I thought the 'school-to-prison pipeline' was more about the fact that many public schools not only look like prisons, but are also run that way by 'school police' with the emphasis not on education, but rather total obedience to the police state and the idea that if we just sacrifice enough liberty on the alter of safety, we'll eventually live forever! Either that, or the metal-detectors and drug-dogs and random locker searches and the surveillance cameras in the bathrooms and such have given us the wrong impression...

Who didn't get in a fistfight in school? Quite literally, if they applied the same authoritarian policies to us back in the 90s, half of my graduating class would be serial violent felons and Prohibition offenders! It's amazing we survived at all. I recall some ridiculous arrests relatively recently, too, including an autistic 5 year-old or something. The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. Truer words were never spoken.

[Verbum Vincet]

Altar.

[Eddy]

The thing is, the idea is not to suspend them *or* call the police, at most have them talk to the victim and call it some fancy name like "restorative justice."

I would think one reason they turn to the cops is that if they undertook discipline on their own, they'd be met with accusations of profiing, putting a vulnerable youth on the streets, etc.

If the schools just kicked out offenders at least long enough for it to stick, there might be some hope of preserving a good learning environment without the cops doing everything (and, frankly, a bit more than everything).

[Eddy]

If there was any chance someone would take this "ad" seriously, maybe - maybe - it would be attempted slaving under federal law. I mean, yes, there are real slavers who exist despite the law (which according to Elizabeth Warren means slavery should be legal).

But I'm not sure this was any more than a Truly Tasteless Practical Joke. As for disorderly conduct, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that applied to places where the public congregates - like the streets, sidewalks, a bar. The sort of place which the public is entitled to enjoy without...well, without disturbance.

[mad.casual]

As for disorderly conduct, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that applied to places where the public congregates – like the streets, sidewalks, a bar. The sort of place which the public is entitled to enjoy without…well, without disturbance.

Even then, you'd think he'd have to be out front in a sandwich board shouting "Slave for sale! Get your slave here!" rather than posting an ad on Craigslist. Kinda makes you wonder if posting some specific items to craigslist within 100 ft. of an elementary school isn't a crime.

[Hit and Run]

What's next, investigating the Reason commentariat for discussing wood chippers? Oh wait...

[Rev. Arthur L. Kuckland]

This just shows that no matter were you go there will always be clingers. They must be weeded out, and punished, even if they didn't do anything we all know they are thinking it. The clingers time is up.

[Eddy]

Is this real Kirkland or parody-Kirkland? Poe's Law at work.

["set phasers to incel"]

Read the fucking name bro.

[Eddy]

Ain't got time for that. I have opinions to spout.

["set phasers to incel"]

...

Fine. I can't argue with that.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

KUCKland

[EISTAU Gree-Vance]

They’re both parodies.

[Last of the Shitlords]

Arty, when your kind push to far, you will all be slaughtered.

You will beg like a wino for mercy that will not be forthcoming. I only wish I could be there when the time comes to see your terror.

[Eddy]

If this were a private school - take the govt out of the equation - then I'd see no problem with them punishing the student.

I mean, talk about selling out your friends!

[CLM1227]

+1

[shawn_dude]

It's cyber-bullying. It's effectively using the N-word, though the social media angle makes it murkier. However it is that schools these days handle cyber-bullying, that's the appropriate way to have handled this. The legal charges--not so much.

[jdgalt1]

I don't agree that this kid did anything wrong at all, unless it can be shown that he actually intended to sell the victim. I think he merely made a joke, the kind so absurd that it makes well-deserved fun of the notion that all or most black people today are victims of slavery (which is just what the "reparations" movement implies). This type of joke needs to be made at this point in our national dialogue.

[Last of the Shitlords]

Clearly. I doubt some random 14 year old moron is hooked up with a human trafficking ring that snatches black teens off the streets.

[Colossal Douchebag]

The school suspended him, and it was right to do so.

Meh. Kid deserves a stern talking to, maybe detention for a few days under the supervision of a black teacher, and to be sent back to school to possibly get the shit beaten out of him by other kids at school.

Suspension should be used more sparingly than for this kind of stupid nonsense-- property damage, actual violence, etc.

[mad.casual]

Thing is, I'm actually on Robby's side on this if he weren't otherwise so retarded.

You can have an actual criminal record and get into an ivy league school. Barring other circumstances, a couple days off because you made a joke about selling your black classmate is almost as harmless making a joke about selling your black classmate.

[BYODB]

The kid deserved to be suspended for this. It's the federal hate crime charges that are mind-bending.

[lap83]

"What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a "slave for sale" ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so."

Because someone might purchase the black classmate and he'll end up as an actual slave? Unless he posted it to craigslist in the Congo, I think you can take a deep breath and stop pearl clutching, Robby.

[phillhamian]

He committed sacrilege against the church of the state.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

"For the authorities to charge someone with a hate crime, there must be an underling (sic) crime. "

The black kid was the underling in this case.

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

Winnah, winnah, chicken dinnah!

[Unicorn Abattoir]

1. It was stupid to do, and should be settled in the schoolyard, not a courtroom.

2. You have to admit - it was funny.

[mad.casual]

Immediately after I read it I thought, "I have to show this story to my 12 yr. old so we can laugh about it. Then tell him to never get caught doing this shit."

[loveconstitution1789]

My older brother took a wallet school picture of mine and colored it in black. I mean BLACK because I already have brown skin.

He would introduce me by picture and say this is his little bro.

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them.

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

WTF?
Zuckerberg buy this outfit?

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Entropy Drehmaschine Void
November.21.2019 at 2:14 pm
“For the authorities to charge someone with a hate crime, there must be an***_underling_***crime. ”

To be sure, Robby, to be sure.

[Hank Phillips]

Real Suave and deboner typo that one...

[Bubba Jones]

Thank God that being an asshole was not yet a felony when I was in high school.

Craigslist is anonymous. How did they prove it was this particular asshole that did it?

[Unicorn Abattoir]

If you're going to pull off a joke like this, you're not going to keep quiet about it.

[loveconstitution1789]

+100
and +1000000000000000 for the bragging rights

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

"State's Attorney Robert Berlin issued a statement Wednesday in which he called the allegations "beyond disturbing."

What is beyond disturbing is that any actual legitimate agent of the State is prosecuting this.

[D-Pizzle]

"[B]eyond disturbing!?!"

Take your Ritalin, Garth.

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

Geoffrey Westminster-Smythe posts a pic of Tommy O'Malley with caption of "slave for sale".
Hate crime or no?

[lap83]

Not a crime, an inevitability. The two happiest days in a slaveowners life are the day he buys an Irish slave and the the day he sells him.

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

So Micks are the same as boats?

[lap83]

hole in the water/bar room floor you pour money/whiskey into

potato/potato

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

Hans-Johan von Manfredstadt posts a pic of Mario diSiciliano with caption of "slave for sale".

Hate crime or no?

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

Muhammad ibn-Qatari posts a pic of Mfumi Kwesi with caption of "slave for sale".

Hate crime or no?

["set phasers to incel"]

That's three hate crimes all at once.

[Dillinger]

*somebody* gets mercy-killed...

[loveconstitution1789]

What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a "slave for sale" ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so.

Once again, what does this kids outside school activities have to do with school? Let the parents work it out.

Illinois has not been the Land of Lincoln for some time.

[Longtobefree]

"A person commits disorderly conduct when he or she knowingly does any act in such unreasonable matter as to alarm or disturb another and to provoke a breach of the peace."

So in Illinois, if a democrat makes a speech, and I hear or read about it, disorderly conduct has been committed? Because everything a democratic politician says disturbs me greatly.

[Demosthenes of Athens]

Smith described the pair as friends.

The state will come in and correct this. Can't have people of different races being friends with one another.

male student at Naperville High School in Naperville, Illinois,

Also, Robby, Not everyone reading this article will recognize the picture of Naperville Central High School, because I doubt very many people here spend much time on the Riverwalk. Lets make sure people aren't lumping Naperville North and Nequa with Naperville Central. Just a small correction.

[CLM1227]

School is supposed to teach young people to behave responsibly

Bullshit they are. School, meet parents. Seriously.

As to the kid, he shouldn't have been suspended and the police should not be involved. Nobody's property was stolen and nobody was physically harmed. As far as pranks go, it was pretty harmless. Creative, even.

I pity the parents. Having to maintain the straight face while explaining why this behavior is unacceptable is going to be torture. The extent of his punishment should be community service at the local black baptist church doing yard work.

[Longtobefree]

Well, I suspect there is some hate now.

[Dillinger]

can't wait 'til you're a mom, Robby. gonna be awesome.

[Rich]

State's Attorney Robert Berlin issued a statement Wednesday in which he called the allegations "beyond disturbing."

You know, Robert, that can be taken in more than one way.

[Vernon Depner]

Heavenly Father, please protect our children from our government. Amen.

[mad.casual]

What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a “slave for sale” ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so.

I can think of two good reasons why this kid didn't have to worry about being sold into slavery:
1. He's a boy.
2. Epstein was murdered.

[Lib Serum]

Hold on, not so fast. Does this child IDENTIFY AS BLACK? or something else? No labels as indicated in the first sentence of this piece can be attached to this child.

Second - this child needs to be taught things like this are not appropriate.

Third - what were the environmental circumstances that lead this child to do this? We need to find out who is really to blame!

If this list makes you angry, you are the problem.
If this list makes you laugh, you know who it's mocking.

[icannotread]

Was it just his wording? What if he wrote "friend for sale" or "classmate"? What if a black student does it? We know how that whole US slavery thing began.

He's 14 so by the time he's 25 he'll be laughing about this one. Most 14 year-olds have the "go hardcore or go home" mentality. His buddies are laughing. Maybe his uncle too.

[ned johnson]

Anti Whites won't allow you to politely decline 'diversity'.

Diversity means Chasing Down White Flight.

No other race Must be 'diverse' and 'multicultural' everywhere they exist across the globe.

Whites are a mere 10% of the world's population and uniquely disallowed any homeland for their children.

Non White Privilege? Borders.

[Superduperpooperscooper]

Kewl! Play Funkytown.

[gemeh11820]

I am making 10,000 Dollar at home own laptop .Just do work online 4 to 6 hour proparly . so i make my family happy and u can do

........ Read More

[Cyto]

I see plenty of people have jumped on Robbie for his "to be sure" pivot, but I'm surprised nobody jumped on the prosecutor for this gem:

"Prosecutors called the allegations "serious and aggravating," and said the alleged actions put the victim's safety at risk."

Put the victim's safety at risk.

Really.

His safety? You actually believe that because of a farcical and offensive Craigslist ad, someone is going to feel they have the green light to hunt this kid down and do harm to him? Really?

Or are you just a lying sack of excrement?

Put his safety at risk.... give me a break! Why are reporters so feckless these days. Whoever took that statement should have immediately followed up on that whopper. So I kinda blame the reporter too.

[Nonstopdrivel]

What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a "slave for sale" ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so.

I wish I could get paid to publish such amateurish dreck. Robby writes with the hamfisted, on-the-nose inelegance of a snobby, self-righteous high school editorialist. (I should know: I used to be one.) The first rule if writing is know your audience. Your audience is a bunch of grown-ass men. Tell them what happened and let them decide for themselves if it was good or bad. Seriously, has Soave never heard of the concept of res ipsa loquitur?

[loki]

The only thing this kid deserves is to get his ass kicked by his classmate. That said, I'm glad they caught the Craigslist ad before Buttplug saw it.

[Last of the Shitlords]

I’m not sure. He might be a little old for Buttplug. But then, he probably has a slave fantasy, so......

I can imagine him pulling up in his windowless panel van. Zip ties, a gag, and clog ore ready to go as he approaches the house with cash in hand.

[damikesc]

"What the teen did was genuinely bad: He took a picture of a black classmate and posted a "slave for sale" ad on Craigslist. The school suspended him, and it was right to do so."

LIBERTARIANISM~!

[Naaman Brown]

Clearly a person with such a stupid sense of humor ought to be convicted of a felony. Do you want someone who would make a sick joke like that eligible to pass a background check to buy a gun? He should be listed as a Prohibited Person (felony conviction) on the NICS database til he dies. Felonies for everyone, no forgiveness for anyone, is the motto of the Brave New World Order.

[dpbisme]

Everyone that reads this should post the same thing on Craigslist... I am....

[dpbisme]

Well I did it. Naperville Il now has a "Two Slaves for Sale" listing... I Included a photo of Holder and Obama...
Yep, my own personal protest.

[Bloomington Teacher]

I got an "awaiting moderation" message, so I'm going to try posting my comment without links and see if that helps. (Awaiting moderation seems awfully Orwellian for a libertarian website, no?)

Other sources (which shall not be named or linked) give more information about this case. I think the kid is an ass, a racist, and arguably a bully. There might even be a harassment case. But it isn't a hate crime.

[mpercy]

If the ad-posting student was black, would it have been a "hate crime"? If the ad-posting student had been black and the perported slave "victim" had been white, would there still be a "hate crime"?

[ManBearPig]

No. Blacks are incapable of hate so it impossible for them to commit a hate crime.

[Robin]

Where’s the defamation?
i want to know

Ref: satta king
https://www.sattaking.info

[Crackers4Sale]

Butterfly effect.
The white kid was going to be a great civil rights lawyer and marry a black woman and eventually become president but due to his two felonies doesn’t get accepted to a decent college and isn’t allowed to sit for the BAR exam. Can’t get a government, healthcare or teaching job. Can’t get a passport.
Ends up hating America & blacks.
So, he goes postal.

[Sara Manuel]

What the teen did was genuinely bad. and it was not right to do so.

[ManBearPig]

When I read this, I think it’s the adults who need to be charged, but being a moron is not yet a crime.

[ManBearPig]

No one has a sense of humor any more. Good grief! It was a bad joke. Nothing more. 14 year olds are not known for having great judgement. That’s why we don’t let them drive or vote.

[joebanana]

WTF has happened to this country? I don't recognize it any more.

[buybuydandavis]

"Since disorderly conduct is the only other item here, the hate crime charges presumably stem from that."

If this stands we're back to blasphemy laws.

The supposedly disorderly *conduct* was the speech act itself. On a *web site*. "fire in a crowded theater", "fighting words" doctrines would presumably not apply, as there is no *immediate breach of the peace* that was likely to ensue, or did ensue.

If they can declare the content of speech *on the web* inherently disorderly, the 1st Amendment is kaput.