Recent incendiary claims from social media posts that were picked up and spread by former President Donald Trump about Haitians in Springfield are false, according to city and county leaders who urged residents to not be swayed by them.
During the presidential debate Tuesday night, Trump said: "They're eating the dogs ... They're eating the pets of the people who live there." Moderator David Muir read a statement from Springfield’s City Manager confirming these rumors are false, however former president Trump wouldn’t back down.
MUIR: I just want to clarify here. You bring up Springfield, Ohio, and ABC News did reach out to the city manager there. He told us there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.
TRUMP: People on television saying my dog was taken and used for food. So maybe he said that and maybe that's a good thing to say for a city manager.
MUIR: I'm not taking this from television, I’m taking this from the city manager.
TRUMP: People who are taking it. As you say, my Dog was eaten by the people that went there.
MUIR: Again, the Springfield city manager says there's no evidence of that.
Earlier on Monday, the Trump campaign put out a press release with several unfounded claims that Haitians in Springfield are stealing neighbors’ pets to eat, and killing ducks and geese from local parks for food. The release said "residents are in terror as migrants overtake the once quiet city."
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and Clark County Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt held a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, before the presidential debate. They dispelled the myths.
"There have not been any credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community," Rue said.
Social media posts and Trump's press release also claim immigrants are squatting on residential front yards, yelling at homeowners and littering.
In 2020, the census put Springfield’s population at
58,662. Over the past few years, city leaders estimate between 12,000 and 15,000 people of Haitian descent have settled in Springfield. They've been drawn to the area by its growing economy and affordable housing, Flax Wilt said.
The vast majority of the new residents are legally in the U.S., receiving Temporary Protected Status because they’re coming from a country in turmoil.
Rue and Flax Wilt said some municipal services are strained, and the community needs more translators, as well as state and federal funding to build more housing, support teachers and health care providers along with managing traffic enforcement.
Haitian Immigrant Dady Fantan says these negative rumors ignore the economic contributions he and many others are making in Springfield. He’s a real estate agent.
"We try to implant some small businesses in our community to try to contribute in the community of Springfield," Fantan said. "We plan to continue to do that. A better Springfield a better community for all."
Flax Wilt encouraged people to stop saying hateful comments, bullying and harassing their neighbors.
"I urge my fellow Clark Countians to stop feeding the fear and instead use your energy to become part of the solution," she said. "The rumors and misinformation circulating — now nationwide — are detracting from real issues we face: school resources, housing, driving and health care."
The false rumors criminalizing Haitians also casts negative clouds over the city of Springfield, Flax Wilt said, which could hurt its future.
"The potential fallout is that businesses won't want to invest in this community and people might not want to move here or can continue to invest and raising their family here," she said. "And that's not what we want."
Flax Wilt says the county and city are launching new initiatives focused on addressing the need for more housing, greater support for teachers whose classes have grown as a result of about 2,000 new Haitian students, more health care services and required comprehensive education for new drivers to reduce accidents.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday the state would provide additional health care and public safety support for Springfield and Clark County.
Beginning Wednesday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be in Springfield assisting Clark County deputies and Springfield police for several weeks, Rue said. They will focus on reckless operation and driving.
DeWine has also authorized state troopers to help officers monitor across the city, Rue said, ticketing drivers violating Ohio’s laws.
Rue acknowledges the city is going through a lot of change in a short amount of time. He said he empathized with long-time residents and understands how they may feel slighted. But he cautioned against negative rhetoric especially in this political season. "I just wish people, political leaders, understood what they were doing to communities when they may not fact check before they post or talk about something and the harm it's caused us," emphasized Rue. "It's caused us harm."
Longtime Springfield resident Noelle Bales said her city needs help and agrees these rumors are false. She said she's never seen any evidence of animals being abused nor killed.
"I live at the exit of Snyder Park, I haven’t seen them coming out of the park with ducks," she said.
