A disturbing scene has unfolded at public schools in Springfield, Ohio, in recent days, with children being turned away upon arrival or, worse, hastily ejected from classrooms, all because of bomb threats.
Parents have struggled to explain to their 6- and 7-year-old children what is happening. Some are unsure about sending their children back.
“We don’t want to be carried away by fear,” said one mother who asked not to be identified to protect her family. “But they are our children.”
Haitians in this working-class town aren’t the only ones who feel threatened by false accusations that they are eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs — a claim echoed by former President Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. With Springfield in the midst of a raging national debate over immigration, fear has gripped neighborhoods across the city.
Now, state troopers stand guard outside schools and government buildings. Last weekend, suspected members of the far-right Proud Boys marched through the streets and the Ku Klux Klan distributed hate-filled leaflets. The unrest is so widespread that most residents interviewed by The Times declined to give their names, saying neighbors have been harassed for speaking to the media.
As one woman put it, everyday life “has been turned upside down by so much vitriol and ignorance.”
On Thursday, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue issued a proclamation giving his office “temporary emergency powers to mitigate public safety concerns.” The announcement came less than 24 hours after Trump told a rally that he plans to visit the city of 58,000. As he has said before, he suggested Springfield was not safe. “You may never see me again, but that’s okay. I gotta do what I gotta do,” Trump said.
While the former president enjoys broad support in Ohio, his arrival may not be universally welcomed.
“We knew that after he said those things, we were going to have a very difficult couple of months here,” said one resident who asked not to be identified. She called it “very wrong in many ways.”
The roots of the unrest go back several years, when Springfield was in the throes of an economic crisis. Civic leaders launched a campaign to attract new businesses, which ultimately led to thousands of new jobs and the need for a larger workforce.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks at a news conference at Springfield City Hall Monday alongside Ohio State Highway Patrol Col. Charles Jones (left), Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson (second from right) and Springfield City Schools Superintendent Robert Hill.
(Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos/Associated Press)
An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants arrived in the city (often from other parts of the country) under Temporary Protected Status granted to them due to violent unrest in their home country. By many accounts, they helped spur urban renewal.
“Haitian workers pay taxes and reinvest in our local economy,” the Chamber of Commerce states on its website. “Our Haitian population is willing to work hard and adapt.”
While resident Larry Lytle said he enjoys walking through his culturally diverse neighborhood and hearing “three or four different languages,” the influx put pressure on government services, health care and public education. Longtime residents complained that rents were rising significantly amid increased demand for housing.
Tensions boiled over last year when a Haitian immigrant driving without a valid license crashed head-on into a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy.
The mounting anger led to allegations that animals were “eating pets” on social media this summer. The Wall Street Journal reported that a representative from Vance’s office contacted city officials to verify the claim. He was told that police had not received any such complaints. Vance made the allegation public anyway.
Similarly, city officials say the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has seen no evidence of another rumor that Haitians are killing geese in public parks for food.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, called the claims “a bunch of garbage on the Internet.”
Still, Trump insisted that immigrants were “eating the dogs” during the recent presidential debate and Vance continued to push the false narrative, telling CNN: “If I have to create stories to get the American media to actually pay attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Now Haitians in the community feel persecuted and are afraid to leave their homes.
“Some of them are afraid for their lives,” Rose-Thamar Joseph of a local Haitian support center told The Associated Press. “It’s hard for us.”
Springfield residents have also suffered, as schools, medical centers and government offices have received dozens of bomb threats. Two Walmart supermarkets and a grocery store were temporarily evacuated.
“Yes, social services are stretched to the limit, as are schools and health care,” said one resident. “But you know who isn’t calling with bomb threats and who isn’t causing chaos and fear? The Haitians.”
Although all threats have so far been false, advance ticket sales for the city's annual antiques fair are reported to be delayed and authorities have cancelled a festival of diversity, art and culture. Wittenberg University, which has also received threats, is holding classes online until the end of this week.
A Springfield educator worries about children who aren't old enough to understand the political context or the anxiety they might see in the adults around them.
“In the younger grades, there is a sense of fear and tension,” the educator said. “Kids pick up on these kinds of things and sometimes you notice changes in behavior when that happens.”
With the presidential election more than a month away — and weeks of heated rhetoric still ahead — some Springfield residents seem pessimistic about the prospects for returning to normal anytime soon.
“The match has been lit,” said one. “When will the fire go out?”
High Street United Methodist Church had to cancel its English as a Second Language classes for safety reasons. The weekend classes are typically attended by a few dozen Haitian students. Cynthia Atwater, the church's pastor, said frightened Haitian residents have asked the program director: “What should we do? Should we leave? We don't know what to do.”
Atwater has heard that some Haitians have already decided to leave Springfield and Ohio altogether.
Atwater, who is black, said recent events in the city have made her feel unsafe. In August, a small group of people marched through downtown during a jazz and blues festival, holding swastika flags.
Last week, when Atwater stopped for dinner at a local restaurant, she couldn’t help but overhear some customers using hateful language to attack Haitian immigrants. “In my mind, I was thinking I was a brown-skinned person and they didn’t really know if I was Haitian or not. It was obvious that I didn’t matter and they didn’t care.”
He has received calls from religious leaders across the country asking how they can help. “I have no answer other than to pray for the people and the situation,” he said. “I don’t know how we will get through this.”
