Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has issued an emergency proclamation to fast track needed resources amid ongoing threats of violence over the past week.
The city has been dealing with repeated threats of bombings and shootings since last week. Schools, city and county buildings, Ohio BMV sites, grocery stores and other places have all been evacuated at times. The threats began after former President Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, spread false and xenophobic stories about Springfield Haitian community.
During a news conference on Thursday, Sept. 19, local and state leaders provided several updates including:
- Rue suggested Trump reschedule a visit to Springfield.
- School attendance has improved.
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said state troopers and bomb-sniffing dogs would stay in schools and the city for as long as needed. The FBI, Homeland Security, ATF and Ohio BMV all have investigators in town.
- DeWine also announced Springfield will get a mobile health unit and a permanent clinic to assist health care providers who are stretched thin.
- Clark State College dealt with a bomb threat on Thursday that was found to be a hoax. Threats, mostly by email, have continued to come in recent days.
- DeWine and Rue asked Trump and Vance to stop spreading misinformation about Springfield and its Haitian population.
- DeWine, a Republican, said he still intends to vote for Trump.
Trump said Wednesday night he was considering visiting Springfield in the next two weeks.
The city would make sure any such visit would be safe, Rue said.
"While the visit brings attention to our city, it also represents logistical challenges that require careful planning and allocation of our resources to minimize disruption of daily life," he said. "As a visit from the former president will undoubtedly place additional demands on our safety infrastructure, should he choose to change his plans, it would convey a significant message of peace to the city of Springfield."
The emergency proclamation is a precautionary measure to ensure the city can respond quickly to security concerns, Rue said. It allows the city to bypass some of its standard purchasing and contracting processes.
"It is not an indication or of immediate danger," he said. "But it allows us to efficiently and effectively protect our public safety."
Springfield's health care system has been stressed with the addition of about 15,000 Haitians over the past several years, DeWine said.
So beginning next week, a mobile health clinic will open in Springfield. The long-term plan calls for a permanent clinic to open as well. These will be done in partnership with the Clark County Combined Health District.
DeWine says the extra clinics will address long wait times by bringing more medical professionals, provide health assessments, vaccines, lab testing as well as maternal and infant health care.
"We want to cut down on wait times for everybody. What we're seeing is there are wait times in the health care system and there's wait times to get vaccinated at the health department or wait times at other places. We want to expand primary care in Clark County and certainly in Springfield. And that's what we're we're doing."
The governor and his wife visited Lincoln Park Elementary School on Thursday. Teachers said more students were back in classes.
State troopers continue to sweep school buildings before they open and stay posted there throughout the day. The governor said they will stay in the area providing support for the district’s public schools for as long as needed.
While the tense atmosphere has lessened somewhat the past few days, threats have continued to come in. Clark State College dealt with a bomb threat on Thursday.
Investigators found a water bottle with something taped to it, said Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
"Again, it was another hoax," Wilson said. "But anybody who's doing these hoaxes and we catch you, you're going to be prosecuted."
The FBI is investigating who is making the threats.
Both Rue and DeWine also continued encouraging the Trump and Vance campaign to stop spreading false information about the Haitian population in Springfield, including how many people have moved here and their legal status.
"They have come here lawfully," DeWine said. "I'll say it again: They have come here lawfully."
DeWine and Rue said they hadn't reached out personally to Trump because they weren't sure it would make a difference.
"We've asked many times that those with a national spotlight, with a national microphone, would would speak truth," Rue said. "And we need help, not hate."
DeWine said he still intends to vote for the Republican presidential candidate because it's his party and he believes most change comes from within the political parties.
