Six eighth graders from the state of Massachusetts are facing criminal charges over claims they made "hateful and racist" comments in a private group chat. 

According to the Hampden County District Attorney's Office, the six school kids made the remarks in a private group chat on Snapchat and expressed "expressed hateful and racist comments, including notions of violence toward people of color, racial slurs, derogatory pictures and videos, and a mock slave auction directed at two juveniles known to them." 

District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said at a press briefing on Thursday:

There is no question that the alleged behavior in this case of these six juveniles is vile, cruel and contemptible. Seeing it, and facing the reality that these thoughts, that this ugliness can exist within middle school students here in this community in 2024 is discouraging, unsettling and deeply frustrating.

With this I intend to be very clear: Hatred and racism have no place in this community, and where this behavior becomes criminal, I will ensure that we act -- and act with swift resolve, as we did here -- to uncover it and bring it to the light of justice.

Although the specifically offensive remarks have not been publicly released, it is understood the conversation centered around a slave auction involving other students. The students all live around Southwick, a suburb of Springfield in Massachusetts. 

All six children have been charged with "threat to commit a crime," while two others "interference with civil rights" and "witness interference. Their identities are protected due to their age. 

In a statement to local media last month, the local superintendent Jennifer Willard said the school district warned parents of a "highly inappropriate and racist conversation on Snapchat that involved students at Southwick Regional School."

"We can assure the community that the District does issue consequences in accordance with our school code of conduct in these types of circumstances," Willard said in her statement. "As stated in our original email to the community, the District firmly believes that racism and discrimination have no place in our school community."

This case is highly disturbing, but not for the reasons that local authorities are arguing.

While cases of bullying and racist abuse at local schools are totally wrong and unacceptable, such incidents must be handled with care and discretion for all those involved. As eighth graders, these children are aged between 13 and 14 and their youth and naivete must be taken heavily into account. 

The charges are also incredibly murky, with seemingly no consideration for the children's First Amendment rights. Quite what crime they were threatening to commit is unclear. Even if they were making such threats, one has to believe that such threats are credible. The prospect of some eighth-grade children holding a slave auction somehow seems unlikely. 

Perhaps most importantly, authorities in Massachusetts surely have more serious crimes to prosecute. This might include the rapid growth of shoplifting, which is costing small and large businesses across the country billions of dollars each year, all while liberal states such as Massachusetts refuse to prosecute repeat offenders.