Faith leaders rally to the side of Haitian migrants Springfield, Ohio, in the wake of false claims about the eating of pets.
• “Jesus said that he is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is with us in truth. And the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets in Springfield,” said the Rev. Carl Ruby, gripping the pulpit of Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio.
The appeal came after the Midwestern city was thrust into the national spotlight during last week’s presidential debate, when Trump asserted that Haitian migrants are “eating the pets of the people that live there.”pet-eating line has become a “memeified” punch line. But for community members, the effects of the remark have been no joke.
“My daughter asked me, ‘What’s going on dad?’” said Harold Herard, an engineer and member of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center who visited Ruby’s church Sunday. “I tried to explain to her the situation, but I don’t want to put her in a situation of feeling fear about school.” “We are in amazement at how so much good is coming out of such difficulty,” said Heidi Earlywine, an English teacher and advocate who co-coordinates the ESOL classes.
Once a bustling manufacturing town that produced farm equipment and other machinery, Springfield faced race riots in the early 20th century, and struggled with closing factories and a declining population at the tail end of the century. Then, about a decade ago, the city launched a successful effort to bring in several businesses and companies that created thousands of new jobs.
In August 2023, tensions between Haitians and longtime Springfield residents ruptured when 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed in an accident caused by a Haitian migrant who crashed into a school bus.
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