Naperville student sentenced for racist Craigslist ad

A Naperville Central High School student was sentenced to probation and community service after pleading guilty to felony hate crime charges related to a racist Craigslist ad, the DuPage County state's attorney's office said.

The boy, who was not named by police, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony hate crime after posting an ad offering up the "sale" of one of his Black classmates, according to a news release. At his sentencing, the juvenile was given two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

The student, who at the time was a 14-year-old freshman, took a picture of his classmate on Nov. 14, 2019, and then posted it to Craigslist with the caption, "Slave for sale (Naperville)," followed by a racial slur, the release said.

Naperville police began an investigation days later. The teen was given an in-school suspension by Naperville Central

"Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society and will not be tolerated, regardless of the accused's age," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release. "Studies show that the victims of hate crimes can suffer from depression, increased anxiety, low self-esteem and insecurity among other things. 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."