Illinois High Schooler Charged With Hate Crime For Alleged Racist Craigslist Ad Targeting African American Classmate

An Illinois teen is facing hate charges after posting a Craigslist ad offering an African American classmate for sale.

The teen was identified as a student at Naperville High School, and made his first appearance in juvenile court Wednesday. He faced charges of felony hate crimes and a count of disorderly conduct.

The ad first went up on Craigslist on Nov. 14 after the student snapped a picture of an African American student during school. It was posted later with the caption “Slave for sale (Naperville),” along with a more offensive racial slur. Police discovered the ad and began investigating on Monday, identifying the alleged student who posted the ad.

Tamara Wallace, the mother of the targeted student, said the teens previously had been close friends. She told the Naperville Sun in an interview published Thursday that they football and wrestling teammates at Lincoln Junior High. However, the two had a falling out over the last year that culminated in the ad.

She also said the accused student had been taunting her son for nearly a month before posting the ad.

The accused student is due back in court on Dec. 18.

“Hate crimes have no place in our society and will not be tolerated in DuPage County,” State's Attorney Robert B. Berlin told reporters. “Anyone, regardless of age, accused of such disgraceful actions will be charged accordingly.”