I'm a member of Ohio's Haitian community. The misinformation is hurting our kids

[RickyDiBiase]

"Let us stop this together and educate one another so we can all live together as one family. Because I'm tired of this back and forth. It's not worth it. It's not needed," Sophia Pierrelus said.​

As if it wasn't enough to say it once, Donald Trump repeated his baseless claims from the presidential debate with Kamala Harris that Haitians in Springfield are eating cats and dogs.

But these are not just hurtful rumors picked up by a former president, current presidential candidate and his pick for VP: Bomb threats have been called into Springfield City Hall since Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, decided to begin spewing their hateful lies.

What is true is that Ohio has a growing Haitian immigrant population. In Springfield, around 15,000 Haitians have arrived in a city of almost 60,000 since 2020 under the federal government's Temporary Protected Status program fleeing gangs and economic insecurity.

We reached out to Sophia Pierrelus, a Haitian American small business owner and the director of a non-profit in Columbus where she advocates for the Haitian community in Columbus helping them find resources and become civically engaged.

Tell me about the Haitian community in Ohio​

It's growing a lot. In Columbus, we have about 20,000 Haitians. Springfield 15-20,000 Haitians. We have been here for a while, but the influx of Haitians started to grow after COVID, where many of them came in. Some came with humanitarian parole, some as visitors, some at the border because our country is going through a lot of stability - because of the lack of security and employment.

I am always asked, "Why Ohio?" When you come to a place where everything is expensive − and you find out about a place where the cost of living is less expensive − of course, you want a place that's better for your family. People are also bringing their family members here. Haitians are resilient and they love to work. They're here because they want to work, have economic stability and provide for their family.

How had your community reacted to the perpetuation of this stupid and mean trope about immigrants?​

They are angry. They are very upset. Very hurt. They're afraid, especially the ones in Springfield. They've been telling me about accusations of them eating pets. And then there's the children.

A viral rumor with serious consequences:'Nobody's eating cats. Nobody's eating dogs.' John Legend says Haitian immigrants deserve grace

I know a woman whose daughter hasn't gone to school since this happened because at the school the kids are asking her about eating cats and dogs. They're afraid to go into the street because they feel they may be attacked.

What do you want people to know about the Haitian community in Ohio?​

We are hardworking individuals. I have been here for so long. I am a professional. I have a degree in management and a degree in physical therapy. I find myself caring and loving passionate about the community at large, not only the Haitians.

We contribute to this country. We are very independent. Haitians are very independent and own their own businesses and they respect people. We may have a couple that don't follow the laws but we have that everywhere - in every demographic. We are loving and we respect everyone.


And our cuisine is exquisite.

Is there anything else you want to say, anything else you want people to know that I haven't asked you about?​

I want everyone to be at peace with each other and try to understand each other. Meet us halfway, we'll meet you halfway.

The children are suffering. Let us stop this together and educate one another so we can all live together as one family. Because I'm tired of this back and forth. It's not worth it. It's not needed.

I'm a member of Ohio's Haitian community. The misinformation is hurting our kids

Ohio's Haitian community is angry and fearful about Trump's gross misinformation. A community member speaks out.

www.dispatch.com

 

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Spoiler: full text

1/1
Aaaaaaand there it is.

[Quoted tweet]
Springfield OH geese killer was a 64-year-old white guy hunting illegally huffpost.com/entry/springfie…



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Spoiler: full text

1/11
@JohnJHarwood
Springfield OH geese killer was a 64-year-old white guy hunting illegally Someone Was Arrested For Killing Geese In Springfield — But It Wasn’t A Haitian



2/11
@danzu72
Well, well, well. What do we have here?



3/11
@WowbaggerT
Weirdly, no Republicans will propose deporting white people back to Europe.



4/11
@MeditationsinMo
Huh. Next you're going to tell me that it is actually a white supremacist gang who is actually responsible for selling fentanyl.

Not immigrants.

White supremacist gang members in San Fernando Valley face federal charges



5/11
@RexChapman
Damn



6/11
@madlizzy17
Not surprised, not even a little bit.



7/11
@forbestonow
It's always projection with MAGA. Always.



8/11
@NeveltenJohn
There is a basic ugliness to this search for some Haitian doing something wrong. I suppose the NY Post DID find one with it's report on a Springfield fender-bender caused by an illegal right turn.

This is evil and any politician doing it unworthy of public trust.



9/11
@milsma
He heard the geese had migrated from Canada.



10/11
@msretro
Imagine that.



11/11
@Gryph911
Who called in the bomb threats?

[Quoted tweet]
Turns out the "b*mb threats" that the media blamed Trump and JD Vance for for weeks were ALL hoaxes and some originated overseas.

When will the media apologize?



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Brian Comer, a 64-year-old white man, was accused of illegally hunting geese at a golf course on the day Trump amplified racist lies about Haitian immigrants in the city.

By Pocharapon Neammanee

Oct 3, 2024, 04:24 PM EDT

A 64-year-old white man in Springfield, Ohio, was accused of illegally hunting geese at a golf course pond as former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, were spreading racist lies that Haitian immigrants in the area were eating geese and people’s pets.

Brian Comer was charged with a misdemeanor in connection with the Sept. 10 incident. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by HuffPost, a golfer at Rocky Lakes Golf Course in Springfield reported seeing a Canada goose floating in a pond and Comer using a shotgun to shoot another bird.

Comer didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from HuffPost, but court records show he entered a guilty plea. A court spokesperson told HuffPost he paid $200 to cover a fine and court fees.

Journalist Steven Monacelli first posted about the arrest on Thursday on X, formerly Twitter.

The geese were hunted at a pond on the Rocky Lakes Golf Course in Springfield, Ohio, shown here via Google Maps

Google Maps

According to the affidavit by an Ohio Division of Wildlife officer, the golfer approached Comer about the dead goose in the pond, and Comer said there would be several more dead geese in a few minutes. Comer reportedly then got on his lawnmower with a shotgun and fired twice, killing a second goose.

The golfer told police that Comer picked up the first goose and tossed it into the weeds and then broke the neck of the second bird, which had been wounded, according to the affidavit.

Officers who spoke with the golf course manager the following day learned that Comer was an employee, according to the affidavit. The manager told authorities that she allowed several individuals, including Comer, to hunt on the property and claimed he should have all appropriate licenses and permits.

However, when authorities checked with the Division of Wildlife’s licensing and harvest database, Comer did not have certifications to hunt migratory birds, according to the affidavit.

Comer told authorities over the phone that he was cutting the grass at the course that day and wanted to shoot a few geese but admitted he did not have the necessary license and permits, according to the affidavit. He instead said he believed he was permitted to do so, thinking the golf course had a nuisance permit. (The state allows the killing of geese under nuisance permits only from March to August.)

According to court records, Comer was arraigned on Sept. 18 on a fourth-degree misdemeanor count of prohibited activities against state-owned wild animals.

The incident at Rocky Lakes Golf Course happened on the same day as the presidential debate between Trump and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. During the debate, Trump repeated the baseless claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating pets. At a rally two days later, he falsely accused immigrants of taking ducks and geese from Springfield parks and trails.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has said it found no proof of Haitian immigrants taking geese or ducks; a viral photo of a Black man holding a goose was actually taken in Columbus, where there has also been no evidence of Haitian immigrants harming animals, USA Today reported. A Facebook post that spread a rumor about a Haitian immigrant killing a cat has also been debunked, and the woman behind it told NBC News she regretted posting it. In spite of that, the racist lies have spread on far-right social media accounts and among Republican politicians.

The racist tales have caused real harm against Haitians who are legally living in Springfield, according to a local nonprofit. The Haitian Bridge Alliance has filed a criminal affidavit seeking Trump’s and Vance’s arrest after attributing more than 30“widespread bomb and other threats” against their community.

The group filed a supplemental affidaviton Wednesday following the vice presidential debate, claiming that Vance effectively admitted on stage that he had been lying about Haitians in Springfield when he protested CBS’ fact-checking about their legal status.

 

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