Ohio State Police to protect schools after riots over Haitian immigrants in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — Ohio state police will help protect schools in a city at the center of a political uproar over Haitian migrants, the governor announced Monday, while local authorities canceled an annual celebration of cultural diversity in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s false claims about eating pets.

Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has dismissed the debunked rumors that spread online before Trump amplified them at the presidential debate last week, saying there was no evidence for them. At a news conference in Springfield on Monday, he said dozens of Ohio State Highway Patrol members will be stationed at the city’s schools starting Tuesday following a series of threats across the city. They will comb every building every morning before teachers or students arrive. Surveillance cameras have also been deployed at strategic points around the city, and an explosives-sniffing dog will be on duty around the city 24/7.

“We know people are very, very concerned,” DeWine said. “But we have moved resources to Springfield. People have the right to feel safe and to be safe.”

Springfield City Hall, several schools and state motor vehicle offices in Springfield were forced to evacuate last week after receiving bomb threats. There have been at least 33 separate bomb threats in recent days, all of them hoaxes, DeWine said. He said some of the threats came from abroad, but declined to name the country.

“The people who are doing this are doing this to sow discord in our community,” said Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. “We simply cannot allow that to happen. We cannot allow that to happen. We must continue to provide the services that the citizens of Springfield and Clark County expect.”

Springfield has been the focus of intense attention in recent days after Trump, his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vanceand the Republican presidential campaign repeated false claims that Haitian immigrants ate pets and waterfowl.

President Joe Biden, speaking at the National HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia on Monday, addressed the situation in Springfield, condemning what he called “lies and hate.”

“This is wrong. This is simply wrong. And it has to stop,” he said.

In response to the threats, Springfield canceled its annual celebration of diversity, arts and culture. The city’s two-day cultural festival was scheduled to begin Sept. 27 but was canceled “in light of recent threats and safety concerns,” Springfield officials said Monday.

“We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest as we know it is a beloved event for our community,” City Manager Bryan Heck said in a statement. “However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first.”

Two Springfield colleges held classes virtually on Monday. Wittenberg University said it received two threats over the weekend, “both directed at members of the Haitian community.” Clark State College said it would continue virtual through Friday “due to recent events in Springfield.”

The city itself seemed quiet on Monday. Among the guests at a Creole restaurant were friends Bill Teager and Paul Gomia, who had driven more than an hour to support a Haitian business.

“We have both been outraged over the last week at what has happened to this city on a national and even local level,” Teager said.

Thousands of Haitian immigrants have settled in recent years in the predominantly white, working-class city of about 60,000 inhabitants, about 70 kilometers from the state capital Columbus, where they have found work in factories and warehouses where it was previously difficult to fill vacancies. sudden influx has burdened schools, health facilities and municipal services and drove up housing costs.

DeWine acknowledged that Springfield faces challenges, but said it is a “city that is, frankly, on the move. If you look at where Springfield was 15 years ago, 10 years ago, even five years ago, it is a city that is on the move.”

He declined to criticize Trump and said the Biden administration’s record on immigration was a legitimate topic of discussion, but pointed out that the Haitians in Springfield were there legally under a federal program that allows them to stay in the country temporarily because conditions in Haiti were deemed too unsafe for their return.

“Companies are hiring them because they need help and support,” DeWine said. “These are people who care about their families. These are people who care about education. They are hard workers. And I think we should respect that.”

He added: “These … people who are spreading hate need to move on. They need to go away. They need to stop doing this.”

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Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania. Associated Press writer Ayanna Alexander in Philadelphia contributed to this report.