A Georgia sheriff did not say KKK is plotting against Black people

Georgia's Gwinnett County Sheriff’s office said social media posts suggesting that white supremacists are planning attacks on Black people are false.

A Nov. 1 Facebook post said, "Hey ladies, I just received this from a friend who works in the Gwinnett County Sheriff's office!!! Be on Alert... Last night, a deputy told a family that local White Supremacists/ KKK members originating out of Lexington, NC, are planning to attack from now until the Inauguration.They are plotting against Blacks, especially black women because in their eyes, we are easy targets! Please be vigilant!"

The post and others like it were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

(Screenshot from Facebook)

The sheriff’s office in the county northeast of Atlanta said in a Nov. 2 statement it had received no such information.

"The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office has been made aware of a circulating text thread suggesting potential attacks on African American women ‘from now through the inauguration.’ We have not received any information indicating threats to any group(s) on or after election day."

The statement continued, "Hateful discourse such as this aims to instill fear in the community and disrupt us from exercising our constitutional rights. The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office remains dedicated to protecting all citizens and we will continue to monitor and respond accordingly to all suspicious and threatening behavior."

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The sheriff’s office said that it will collaborate with other government agencies in case of any election threats and told the public it could call the agency’s tip line at 770-619-6655.

When contacted on the morning of Election Day, the sheriff’s office had no additional information and no findings to corroborate the social media message, Gwinnett Deputy Asia Pagan, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said.

Georgia’s Rockdale County Sheriff Eric J. Levett said Nov. 3 that his office communicated with state law enforcement agencies and found the social media message to be untrue. 

Snopes, a fact-checking website, found that another version of the text message purported to be from "Councilwoman Wanda Randolph" — it did not say what city council this person served on. We sent a message to a council member by that name in Eatonville, Florida, and did not receive an immediate response. 

Nationwide, local election officials have stepped up communications with law enforcement agencies about Election Day security and in the weeks that follow as they count ballots and certify results. Several election offices have taken extra precautions to provide a secure environment for workers and voters.

But in this case, there is no evidence that the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office said that white supremacists "are planning to attack" Black people "from now until the Inauguration." 

We rate this claim Pants on Fire!

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