Residents of Springfield, Ohio, hunker down and pray for a political firestorm to blow over
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — In the quiet corners of Springfield, Ohio — out of sight of the politicians and journalists, police officers and newly installed security cameras — the people who live here breathe, pray and try to carry on.
Between the morning bombings of Springfield schools and the almost daily afternoon press conferences, a silence falls over the city of 58,000 that residents say is eerie, even ghostly. It is fear. It is confusion — dismay that they have been transformed overnight into a target for the nation’s vitriol.
Pastor Andy Mobley, who runs the Family Needs Inc. food bank on the city’s South Side, said people are backing off from the publicity. He said they hope the attention generated by former President Donald Trump’s distribution unfounded rumors about legal Haitian immigrants in the city The pet eating scandal during last week’s presidential debate will blow over.
Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, Ohio’s junior senator J.D. Vance, have used the cat-eating rumors to draw attention to the city’s 15,000 Haitian immigrants, whose arrival to fill manufacturing, distribution and warehouse jobs has strained local resources.
Since the Republican candidates’ initial comments, there have been more than two dozen bomb threats, mostly from foreign actors seeking to sow division. This has prompted the state to deploy extra police and install surveillance cameras throughout the city as it tries to reopen schools and government buildings.
“We have good people here. Republican, Democrat. They’re good people,” Mobley said Tuesday as the pantry served a steady stream of customers looking for clothing and food.
According to resident Josh Valle, the situation is alarming.
“We definitely need answers,” said the 35-year-old tool and die repairman who has lived in Springfield for decades. “It’s affecting my kids, my community, my neighbors. With the bomb threats and the influx, it’s something new every day. And this used to be a very laid-back town, you know, it used to be just a small town in Ohio.”
The area around Springfield City Hall, where Valle spoke, remained largely quiet Tuesday afternoon until a news conference with state and local officials sparked a brief flurry of activity. Local families have been avoiding schools after earlier bomb threats, even as dozens of police officers are spread throughout the Springfield City School District to keep watch. About 200 of the 500 students were absent from a single elementary school Tuesday, officials said.
Yet there are signs of hope.
Tea towels reading “Home Sweet Springfield” adorn the window of Champion City Guide & Supplies in a downtown block bustling with activity during the lunch hour. A row of mugs and clothing reads: “Speak a good word for Springfield — or say nothing at all.”
Across town, a group of kids whose parents kept them home on Tuesdays were fooling around at a makeshift lemonade stand they’d set up to make some money. They enjoyed revving the engines of passing muscle cars, and when sales were slow, they drank the merchandise.
David Graham, who visits communities in crisis as The Praying Cowboy, positioned himself in Springfield this week to show support. “Agenda: Pray, worship, witness, smile, honor, esteem,” he wrote in a Facebook post from the city, accompanied by his hands holding an open Bible with a newly installed surveillance platform in the background. He added lines of black electrical tape to a small heart-shaped sign he hung nearby, to represent Springfield’s broken hearts.
He wasn’t the only one trying to help. A bipartisan group of area mayors met Monday with Springfield Mayor Rob Rue to figure out how they could help, including resources to address the transportation, health care, social services and housing needs caused by the growing Haitian population and their language barrier.
Andrew Ginther, the Democratic mayor of Columbus, Ohio’s capital, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said in a statement: “Mayors across America will continue to support Springfield and all cities working to responsibly address the surge in migrants. We can do so without losing sight of our shared humanity.”
Years ago, Family Needs Inc. was designated one of President George H.W. Bush’s “Thousand Lights” in honor of his dedication to volunteerism. The organization has been helping Haitians arriving in Springfield for years, Mobley said — by providing translation services and co-signing their leases.
He recalls working with Haitian immigrants as early as 2016, the year Trump took office, but census figures show the population was only around 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’ve been here, and we’ve been dealing with this, and we’ve asked for help through two different administrations. And no administration has helped us, until now this has become public.”
Walking through the city centre, a local resident, who did not want to give her name, said she was not discouraged by the situation.
“It’s childish. It’s stupid. It was one stupid person who entered into a debate and ruined 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 those accusations. I was born and raised in this city, I’m staying here and I don’t have a problem with anyone.”