The Daily Populous Sunday September 15th, 2024 morning edition
Authored by abc7chicago.com and submitted by Yousoggyyojimbo

The mayor said there's a lot of fear in Springfield.

More threats in Springfield, Ohio: 'We need help, not hate,' mayor says

The Springfield Police Division has beefed up its staffing as it deals with bomb threats stemming from unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- A new round of bomb threats have targeted three medical facilities and an unspecified fourth facility in Springfield, Ohio, on Saturday, officials said.

The facilities have been swept and cleared, with some already reopened, a police official told ABC News.

Springfield Regional Medical Center, Ohio Valley Surgical Hospital and Kettering Health Springfield were listed by authorities as targets.

The Springfield Police Division has beefed up its staffing as it deals with threats stemming from unsubstantiated claims about the Haitian migrant community.

Two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school was closed on Friday in the wake of a threat sent via email in Springfield, according to the school district and the mayor.

The elementary schools released students to their parents, officials said.

It's unclear if the person who sent Friday's threat is the same person who sent Thursday's, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.

On Thursday morning, bomb threats were sent via email "to multiple agencies and media outlets" in the city, according to the city commission office.

Explosive-detecting K-9s helped police clear multiple facilities listed in the threat, including two elementary schools, City Hall and a few driver's license bureaus, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott told reporters. The county court facilities were also cleared "out of an abundance of caution," she said.

The FBI is working with local police to help identify the source of the threat, Elliott said.

The mayor said there's a lot of fear in Springfield in the wake of the threats.

"This is a very concerning time for our citizens, and frankly, a lot of people are tired of just, you know, the things that have been spread about our community that are just negative and not true. We need help, not hate," Rue told ABC News on Friday.

The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the baseless rumors spread online in the wake of viral social media posts claiming Haitian migrants were abducting people's pets in Springfield order to eat them. The rumors were amplified by right-wing politicians, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance.

"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs," Trump said at Tuesday night's presidential debate. "The people that came in, they're eating the cats, they're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there."

A spokesperson for the city of Springfield told ABC News these claims are false, and that there have been "no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals in the immigrant community."

"Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents' homes," the spokesperson said. "Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic."

The mayor added, "Your pets are safe in Springfield."

Springfield estimates there are around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county; migrants have been drawn to the region because of low cost of living and work opportunities, according to the city. The rapid rise in population has strained housing, health care and school resources, according to the city. City officials also said the migrants are in the country legally and that many are recipients of Temporary Protected Status.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the "baseless and inflammatory" claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they "not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who dispelled the rumors this week, said the state would send more resources to Springfield.

The mayor stressed, "Anybody on the national stage that takes a microphone, needs to understand what they could do to communities like Springfield with their words. They're not helping. They're hurting communities like ours with their words."

drinkduffdry on September 14th, 2024 at 18:46 UTC »

Hey Ohio, this is your Senator and the ex president you voted for twice. Maybe it's time to make better decisions because this chaos is unnecessary and avoidable.

gorramfrakker on September 14th, 2024 at 18:26 UTC »

This still blows my mind that this is JD Vance’s home state. He’s a Senator of Ohio for fucks sake!

unique_ptr on September 14th, 2024 at 18:14 UTC »

At what point does the FBI start tracing every call to every municipal building in Springfield?

Throw these terrorists in prison.