# Springfield, OH immigrants: what's the actual story? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 13, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220 "2024-09-13T17:14:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/21 "2024-09-13T19:50:44Z")
I will add another detail. There was a photo that went viral that showed a black man in Columbus Ohio ( not Springfield) carrying a dead goose. No information is available about how the goose died or why the man was carrying him. The man that took the photo, who does not want his name released to the press, has said that he does not believe the man was Haitian. I will also add that, seasonally, there are a lot of wild geese in my neighborhood……they love the pond across from my house, in the spring I’ll see 6 or 8 adults out with around 30 goslings, it’s very cute. But the adults are large and become vicious when threatened —- plus they can fly away —and I really don’t see how a human could catch and kill one without using a firearm. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/22 "2024-09-13T20:01:42Z")
> **[Bomb Threats Disrupt Springfield, Ohio for Second Day](https://time.com/7021289/bomb-threats-springfield-ohio-trump-haitian-pets/)** > > Springfield closed one middle school and evacuated two elementary schools on Friday due to bomb threats. _The Springfield City School District in Ohio closed one middle school and evacuated two elementary schools on Friday due to bomb threats as former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies continue to make inflammatory and unfounded claims about the city’s Haitian immigrant community._ _The incident marked the second consecutive day of disruptions for Springfield, following similar threats that had prompted the [evacuation of city hall on Thursday](https://time.com/7020845/springfield-city-hall-evacuates-amid-pet-eating-conspiracy/). It was revealed Friday that Thursday’s bomb threat in Springfield used hateful language against the city’s immigrant population._ Yes, the MAGAs are stooping to school bomb threats. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/23 "2024-09-13T20:18:17Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > maybe the cat moved out because it couldn’t stand to live with the stupidity. Though it’s not clear to me that the person whose cat it was had anything to do with the rumors – we’re already three people in on ‘somebody told me’ about the cat having gone missing, never mind about why. At that degree of separation, there may not ever have been a cat. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/24 "2024-09-13T20:31:38Z")
It’s a modernization of the anti-Semitic [blood libel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel). Years ago, I’d see similar accusations [coyfully hurled by racists on this board](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-bigoted-asshole-omnibus-thread/623489/2166). Skepchick Rebecca Watson [talks more about this particular accusation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31oBp1QwbYg) (13:24) ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/25 "2024-09-13T21:10:08Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > [@Dissonance](#): > > > > someone in the Facebook group posted that “my neighbor informed me that her daughters friend had lost her cat.” > > And nobody ever loses cats unless the neighbors are eating them! > > – maybe the cat moved out because it couldn’t stand to live with the stupidity. Though it’s not clear to me that the person whose cat it was had anything to do with the rumors – we’re already three people in on ‘somebody told me’ about the cat having gone missing, never mind about why. There’s always the even more implausible possibility that someone lied on the internet and made up the whole story, attributing it to something their neighbor said about their neighbor’s daughter’s friend. I mean people would never lie on the internet, right? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/26 "2024-09-13T21:12:52Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > I mean people would never lie on the internet, right? Agreed: [![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:950/0*8-K5tG2P91rD76lx.jpeg) ](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:950/0*8-K5tG2P91rD76lx.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/27 "2024-09-13T21:34:44Z")
I don’t think it was a school. I heard it was city hall that was evac’d and closed due to bomb threats. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/28 "2024-09-13T21:39:25Z")
I think less rumors and more linked-to facts are in order, especially in this forum. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/29 "2024-09-13T21:40:52Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I don’t think it was a school. I heard it was city hall that was evac’d and closed due to bomb threats You heard wrong. > **[Bomb threats force second consecutive day of school closures in Springfield,...](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bomb-threats-force-second-consecutive-day-school-closures-springfield-rcna171043)** > > Several local leaders have also been targeted in the wake of baseless claims aimed at Haitian immigrants that have been repeated by former President Donald Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/30 "2024-09-13T21:44:39Z")
Trump doubles down: “Trump uses harsher language to describe Haitians in Ohio” [https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/13/trump-haitians-ohio-pets-00179147](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/13/trump-haitians-ohio-pets-00179147) And JD Vance supports his boss: > **[JD Vance now says Haitian immigrants are spreading HIV after bizarre...](https://www.advocate.com/election/jd-vance-haitian-hiv-stigma)** > > Donald Trump’s campaign is just going with unfettered racism now along with stoking fear and discrimination against those living with HIV. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/31 "2024-09-13T21:45:47Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > but when the topic came up while I was watching the debate, I couldn’t help humming _What’s New, Pussycat_. > > Or, _the cat came back_ Yeah, I wonder whether the original lost cat (if there even was one) hasn’t come back home by now. Lost cats sometimes come home. Rumors always just keep going. > [@Babale](#): > > Do you think telling people that it’s most likely coyotes who ate their cat would be helpful? Might be helpful to the Haitians. (And it is far more likely to be true, at least as far as canine coyotes are concerned; though in most areas cars, stray dogs, or (especially if not spayed/neutered) a desire for exploration is at least as likely as coyote and in some places more so.) Also, of course, we don’t know how long this mystery cat had been gone. Cat may have been under a bush in the back yard eating a mouse, and may now be snoozing on its human’s bed, blissfully unaware of this whole mess. > [@DrDeth](#): > > The Springfield City School District in Ohio closed one middle school and evacuated two elementary schools on Friday due to bomb threats Shit, shit, shit. Anybody wanna claim that inciting isn’t inciting and never does any actual harm? Even if there are no actual bombs involved – those kids have not only lost at least a day of school, they’ve been scared shitless. Little kids. > [@Mangetout](#): > > At that degree of separation, there may not ever have been a cat. Maybe the friend of the neighbor’s daughter was named Schroedinger? > [@orcenio](#): > > It’s a modernization of the anti-Semitic [blood libel] Sure seems that way to me. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/32 "2024-09-13T21:46:54Z")
> [@susan](#): > > “Cat hit by car” accounts for all the known reasons for cat disappearances I’ve experienced. Yup. Just as an anecdotal data point, the last cat I ever had – decades ago before I became a Confirmed Dog Lover™ was just such a victim. I had the misfortune to come across his deceased carcass while coming home on a country road at night some considerable distance from my house. Anyway, the Haitian pet-eating story is very obviously bullshit to the point that you have to wonder about the mental health of anyone who seriously believes it. It also has half a million Haitian immigrants in Florida pretty offended, which could have electoral implications. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/33 "2024-09-13T21:48:59Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It also has half a million Haitian immigrants in Florida pretty offended, which could have electoral implications. Every cloud has a silver lining. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/34 "2024-09-13T22:11:58Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > It’s a modernization of the anti-Semitic [blood libel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel). Marianne Williamson claimed on Twitter that the eating of pets was some kind of Voodoo rite, so it literally is a blood libel at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/35 "2024-09-13T22:32:42Z")
Yes, I just saw it on the news. But yesterday it was the Town Hall. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/36 "2024-09-13T22:44:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > But yesterday it was the Town Hall. Yesterday it was also the school, per the headline. > **Bomb threats force second consecutive day of school closures in Springfield** ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/37 "2024-09-13T23:07:06Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > > > But yesterday it was the Town Hall. > > Yesterday it was also the school, per the headline. You’re both right. City hall, schools, county offices. All of them. > **[Springfield City Hall, schools, county hit by bomb threat tied to Haitian issues](https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-city-hall-evacuated-due-to-unspecified-threat/LEJGCXXHZRHT3HH3HYHABRZGT4/)** > > Several city, county and school buildings around Springfield were closed Thursday because of a bomb threat “to multiple facilities throughout Springfield,” according to a city statement released Thursday morning. Springfield City Hall was evacuated... ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/38 "2024-09-13T23:50:04Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Anybody wanna claim that inciting isn’t inciting and never does any actual harm? > > Even if there are no actual bombs involved – those kids have not only lost at least a day of school, they’ve been scared shitless. Little kids. Yes, this is real, actual harm. Closing? meh. But having to evacuate? Expensive and scary to everyone. People can have panic attacks, heart failures, etc. This could even cause PTSD. It is not a joke. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/39 "2024-09-14T01:22:21Z")
Evacuating’s worse. But closing isn’t meh; because the kids are going to find out that the reason for the closing is that somebody wants to blow up the school, with them in it. Because they’re in it. Isn’t that a lovely thing to learn when you’re six, or eight, or even eighteen? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220/40 "2024-09-14T01:34:46Z")
[Moderating] A reminder that this is FQ, where we deal exclusively in facts. If we’ve run out of facts (because there really isn’t much to say factually), then this thread has served its purpose. Other threads in other forums would be better suited for general discussion of this issue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springfield-oh-immigrants-whats-the-actual-story/1007220.md?page=3)