A high schooler from Illinois has been sentenced to probation and community service after posting a racist “slave for sale” ad on Craigslist, according to prosecutors.
The Naperville Central High School student—who at the time was reported to be 14— used an image of a Black classmate in 2019 and posted the ad on the website alongside a racial slur, according to DuPage County state’s attorney.
Now, according to the prosecutor’s office, the student must serve two years’ probation and complete 100 hours of community service, after pleading guilty to two counts of felony hate crime and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct on Sept. 1. He was sentenced on Wednesday, and ordered to undergo any needed counseling.
“They used to be friends, they are not anymore,” the mother of the victim, who remained anonymous, told WGN News in 2019. “The moment he started teasing my son, calling him dumb, making fun of his skin color, saying ‘shut up slave’ last October. They are not friends anymore.”
State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin said in a recent statement that “hate crimes have no place in a civilized society and will not be tolerated, regardless of the accused’s age.”
The student, who has not been named, took a photo of his classmate in November of 2019, alongside the caption “Slave for sale (Naperville),” and police began an investigation four days later that led to him.
“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,” Berlin continued. “It is my sincerest hope that with the help of our Juvenile Probation Department, the juvenile involved in this incident will mature into a productive member of society.”
