The parent company of the school paper, Students Publishing Company, or SPC, announcedOpens in a new tab that it had “engaged law enforcement to investigate and find those responsible.” The results of the inquiry are just now coming to light.

Following the investigation, local prosecutors brought charges against two students for theft of advertising services. The little-known statute appears to only exist in IllinoisOpens in a new tab and CaliforniaOpens in a new tab, where it was originally passedOpens in a new tab to prevent the Ku Klux Klan from distributing recruitment materials in newspapers. The statute makes it illegal to insert an “unauthorized advertisement in a newspaper or periodical.” The students, both of whom are Black, now face up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

I wonder how much the student’s skin color contributed to them being the only ones charged? 🤔