Springfield, Ohio is the latest example of the damage rumors can cause.
What began as mean-spirited insults has spiraled into death threats for the community.
Over the past week, the mid-sized town has received more than 33 threats to its schools, city hall, universities, hospitals and community centers due to comments slandering its Haitian population by saying they are stealing and eating the townsfolks’ household pets.
Meanwhile, these people are living in fear they’ll be the target of violence. Children are asking their parents if they’re in danger, and unfortunately, the answer is yes.
Hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Proud Boys have descended on the town. KKK fliers describe the immigrants as “disease-ridden and filthy.”
An anti-immigrant march is planned for the end of the month.
Needless to say, Springfield has canceled its upcoming CultureFest, an annual celebration of the city’s diverse makeup, due to safety concerns.
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who, oddly enough, represents Ohio in the U.S. Senate, admitted over the weekend to fueling the fire by not only pushing the falsehoods but creating his own versions. Vance said he felt justified fabricating more untruths so that the “media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people,” due to its immigration policies.
On Sept. 9, Vance and former President Donald Trump received definitive assurance that the rumors about the Haitians were false.
But at the Sept. 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr. Trump repeated the conspiracy theories when he said, “They’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country.”
Mr. Trump also said the Haitians are in Springfield illegally.
They are not.
They have U.S. work permits under a program approved by Congress in 1990 that provides for those in war-torn countries or suffering humanitarian crises. Until now, the Temporary Protected Status program — which does not include a path to permanent residency or citizenship — has enjoyed bipartisan support.
Other countries currently qualifying for the designation, include Ukraine, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Honduras and Nepal.
Two things have worked to bring Haitians to Springfield over the past 10 years.
