Six juvenile students from Southwick Regional School will be criminally charged in connection with incidents of racist bullying.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced on Thursday that two of the students will be charged with interference with civil rights, threatening to commit a crime, and witness interference.
Four more are charged with the threatening count. All are aged 13 and 14, respectively, and were alleged to have targeted Black students with racist language and a "slave auction" held on Snapchat.
Moving forward, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, states, “I hope that this unequivocal message that hate and bullying will not be tolerated in this county will deter people from similar behavior. I hope that communities will surround those affected by hate and bullying with support and love, so that victims become resilient survivors. I hope that people who make mistakes and those who witness them will learn from them so as not to repeat them. I hope that our collective efforts to promote empathy, compassion, and tolerance will overcome the forces of apathy, malice, and intolerance. This is not an issue exclusive to a place, or an age group, or a race. This is a universal issue that we must face as one, unified community. Let’s move forward with hope, resiliency, and a commitment to justice.”
All will be prosecuted in juvenile court.