Some Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio are avoiding leaving their homes and preventing their children from attending school for fear of victimization.
An area activist told journalists at the Haitian Times that community members are fearing for their lives after the perpetuation of baseless claims by former President Donald Trump and his Vice President pick J.D. Vance about them abducting pets and eating them.
Various families and individuals said they were threatened with violence. They spoke to the Haitian Times anonymously, fearing public reprisal.
"We're all victims this morning," said one woman, who moved to Springfield six years ago. "They're attacking us in every way."
I wonder how it feels to be a Haitian kid showing up to school in Springfield, OH today. Rumors are not victimless.
— Stephanie Lobdell 💙 (@srdlobdell) September 11, 2024
Viles Dorsainvil, head of a Haitian community center in Springfield, said that the center has received numerous threatening phone calls.
"We have to be careful where we go," said Dorsainvil. "He said that things are getting out of hand now; the way people are treating us, making bad comments about us."
On Monday, Vance shared a tweet claiming that Springfield residents had had their pets abducted and eaten by Haitian immigrants residing in the city. This claim was fervently supported by Trump, who shared fabricated AI images of household pets supporting MAGA rhetoric ahead of Tuesday's presidential debate, even repeating the bogus claims on the presidential debate stage.
Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024
Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i
"They're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats," Trump stated on Tuesday night.
Ohio lawmakers and The Springfield Police Division have repeatedly debunked these claims, reiterating that they have received no reports of abducted pets.
"There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community." said Springfield law enforcement.
In the midst of these rumors, the city was forced to close its City Hall on Thursday after receiving a bomb threat that was also issued to multiple other facilities throughout Springfield.
The city's mayor, Rob Rue, stated that the threat mentioned complaints directed towards Haitian immigrants within the city.
"Rumors like these are taking away from the real issues such as housing concerns, resources needed for our schools and our overwhelmed health care system."
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