During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, former President Donald Trump claimed that Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio were eating cats and dogs. This spurred arguments between the left and right wings, as well as hatred in Ohio.
The rumor stems from two occasions: a post in a Springfield Facebook group about a Haitian household allegedly hanging a cat from their tree to eat and a woman who was detained for animal abuse.
The post about Springfield details a neighbor’s daughter’s friend who seemingly saw her missing cat hanging from her Haitian neighbor’s tree. While this can be considered hearsay as it is not a firsthand account but based on the claims of a separate party, Erika Lee, the woman who originally uploaded the post, has since admitted to feeling guilty for sharing it.
Springfield police said they have never had evidence of violence against animals in the community. However, people still turn to other sources.
A graphic video was shared online of Alexis Ferrell, a resident of Canton, Ohio, who killed and ate a cat. Witnesses believe she was either influenced by drugs or was suffering a mental health crisis at the time, and she is not an immigrant.
Multiple media sources as well as the moderators of the debate debunked the rumor sparked by Trump; however, Senator JD Vance continued to support it in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. He claimed that his constituents told him first-hand accounts of the rumored violence and argued that the outbreak of this rumor in the media benefited America by highlighting issues in Ohio.
After being prompted to admit that the rumor was baseless, Vance said, “If I have to create stories so that the American media pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.” When he was questioned about what he meant by “creating stories,” he backtracked on this statement and changed it to, “creating the American media focusing on it.”
As for how these rumors have affected Springfield, there have been several bomb threats and an increase in security. These threats started on Sept. 12 and targeted Springfield City Hall, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Springfield Driver’s Exam Station, the Ohio License Bureau on the southside, Springfield Academy of Excellence and Fulton Elementary School. These buildings shut down and state troopers were posted to investigate.
These threats have caused the communities within Springfield to feel endangered, class attendance to dip and public events to be canceled. In addition to this, it has taken over all media coverage, completely covering up the economic gain Springfield has been experiencing.
Springfield is a manufacturing city and was struggling with wages and employment in 2016. Companies required more from their employees to hire them on the floor since the automation of the assembly line required fewer people. As for wages, people were being hired for less, making it difficult for new workers to support their own lives.
However, in 2024, Springfield has faced economic growth with the help of the Haitian community. While the influx of Haitian immigrants has stressed certain resources such as healthcare and welfare programs, it has also increased the labor supply.
Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine supported this, saying in an interview with CBS News, “These Haitians came in here to work because there were jobs, and they filled a lot of jobs. And if you talk to employers, they’ve done a very, very good job and they work very, very hard.”
Similarly, residents of the nearby town of Dayton are welcoming immigrants using initiatives such as “Welcome Dayton.” By allowing immigrants into the community, they have had an increase in the job market as well as culture. Fardeen Ahmadi from Afghanistan started his own trucking company and Anita Nzigiye from Rwanda sells East African groceries, such as Tanzanian smoked fish.
Trump and Vance’s claims surrounding violence toward animals have been fact-checked by multiple sources. DeWine, the Springfield police force, the community and multiple news outlets are all speaking out against this rumor. This claim has buried the progress Ohio has made economically and the actual issues it faces, as well as incited violent responses.
pbortner@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @po_murray, X
