Springfield, Ohio residents stay hunkered down and pray political firestorm passes | News, Sports, Jobs

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — In the quiet corners of Springfield, Ohio, far from the barrage of politicians and journalists, police and newly installed surveillance cameras, people are catching their breath, praying and trying to carry on.

Between the morning bomb disposal operations in Springfield’s schools and the almost daily afternoon press conferences, a silence has spread across the city of 58,000 that residents say is eerie, even haunting. It is fear. It is confusion – dismay at having become the target of nationwide anger overnight.

Pastor Andy Mobley, who runs the Family Needs Inc. food bank on the city’s south side, said people are retreating from the public eye. He said they hope the attention sparked by former President Donald Trump’s unfounded rumors that legal Haitian immigrants ate pets during last week’s presidential debate will soon pass.

Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Ohio junior Senator JD Vance, used the cat-eating rumors to draw attention to the city’s 15,000 Haitian immigrants, whose arrival in manufacturing, distribution and warehouses is putting a heavy strain on local resources.

Since the Republican candidates’ first comments, there have been more than two dozen bomb threats – most of them from foreign actors seeking to sow discord – prompting the state to deploy additional police and install security cameras throughout the city in an effort to reopen schools and government buildings.

“We have good people here. Republicans, Democrats. They’re good people,” Mobley said Tuesday as the pantry served a steady stream of customers seeking clothing and food.

Local resident Josh Valle said the situation was disturbing.

“We really need answers,” said the 35-year-old tool and die maker who has lived in Springfield for decades. “It’s affecting my children, my community and my neighbors. With the bomb threats and the influx, something new is happening every day. And this used to be a really laid back town, you know, and then it was just a small town in Ohio.”

The area around Springfield City Hall, where Valle spoke, was largely quiet on Tuesday afternoon until a press conference with state and local government officials briefly brought a flurry of activity. After earlier bomb threats, local families are avoiding schools, although dozens of police officers are standing guard in the Springfield City School District. At a single elementary school, around 200 of 500 students were absent on Tuesday, authorities said.

Nevertheless, there are signs of hope.

Tea towels reading “Home Sweet Springfield” decorate the window of Champion City Guide & Supply on a downtown block that’s bustling with lunchtime activity. Mugs and clothing read, “Speak up for Springfield — or say nothing.”

Across town, a small group of children left home by their parents on Tuesday were joking around together at a makeshift lemonade stand they had set up to make a few bucks, enjoying the roar of a passing muscle car and gulping down the goods when sales were slow.

David Graham, who visits communities in need as a “Praying Cowboy,” took a stand in Springfield this week to show his support. “Agenda: Pray, worship, witness, smile, honor, appreciate,” he wrote in a Facebook post from the city, holding an open Bible and a newly installed surveillance platform in the background. He used black duct tape to add lines to a small heart sign he had hung nearby to represent the broken hearts in Springfield.

He wasn’t the only one wanting to help. A bipartisan group of area mayors met with Springfield Mayor Rob Rue on Monday to figure out how they can help – including providing funding to address transportation, health care, social services and housing needs caused by the increase in the Haitian population and the language barrier.

Andrew Ginther, the Democratic mayor of Ohio’s capital city of Columbus and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said in a statement: “Mayors across America will continue to stand with Springfield and all cities committed to responsibly managing the increasing number of migrants. We can do this without losing sight of our common humanity.”

Years ago, Family Needs Inc. was named one of “a thousand points of light” by President George HW Bush in recognition of its commitment to volunteer service. The organization has been helping Haitians arriving in Springfield for years, Mobley said – offering them translation services and co-signing their leases.

He recalled working with Haitian immigrants as early as 2016, the year Trump was elected – although census figures show that the population was only about 400 until a few years ago.

“In 2016, we started signing contracts. During the pandemic, we did things for the Haitian community,” he said. “Is all that forgotten? They were here, and we dealt with it, and we asked two different governments for help. And no government helped us until this thing became public now.”

As she walked through the city center, a resident who did not want to give her name said she was not discouraged by the situation.

“This is childish. This is stupid. It took one stupid person to enter a debate and ruin the reputation of a community. I think you know exactly who I’m talking about,” she said.

“He should never have said that. There is no truth in these allegations. I was born and raised in this city, I am staying here and I have no problem with anyone.”