Opinion In Springfield, I heard stories about strain, promise — and race | A struggling Rust Belt city of Haitian immigrants confronts lies from Trump and Vance.

The Washington Post ^ | September 19, 2024 at 5:25 p.m. EDT | Eugene Robinson

[E. Pluribus Unum]

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — This city is besieged by a lie. Mayor Rob Rue could not meet with me at his office because of a series of anonymous bomb threats that shut down schools, hospitals and the municipal center. One morning this week, I watched as eight police cars sped up to City Hall and officers rushed inside, investigating the latest threat; it turned out to be a false alarm, like all the others. So far.

Amid a crisis that is fundamentally about Springfield’s racial and cultural diversity, an annual celebration of that diversity called CultureFest set for later this month had to be canceled. And people I spoke with were nervous about the prospect of a visit by former president Donald Trump, who announced Wednesday that he’s coming to town.

Hasn’t Trump punished Springfield enough? He and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), have already vandalized the city’s sense of community and common purpose. Nobody here asked for bomb threats, evacuations and cancellations. Nobody here asked to be painted in garish caricature and cynically exploited for political gain.

Springfield became a flash point when Trump, in last week’s presidential debate, blurted out a nativist and racist lie about Haitian immigrants who have settled here: “They’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

None of that is true.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Geez. Only Eugene Robinson could right some crap like this. A real racist turd roller. I watched the video here earlier of the “packed” Haitian restaurant and got some good laughs. The joint was packed with three hippy honkies and the “media mafia” concentrated on the “solidarity three” as they spoke of how much love and “solidarity” they had for the illegal alien invaders. What a joke.

[dfwgator]

Goebbels had nothing on these guys.

[dragnet2]

“”Their city officials refused to come to the meeting.””

That’s because the city cops, their hired guns and hired muscle, would not be present to arrest people or throw them out of the building for not agreeing with them.

[Leaning Right]

Hey, it’s the “Washington Post”. They are currently involved in a three-way lying contest with the “New York Times” and Joseph Goebbels.

As of now, Goebbels is ahead. But those two plucky liberal newspapers refuse to give up.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Haiti is a failed state. It is dysfunctional at every level. Haiti gained its independence from France shortly after the USA gained Independence from England. Haiti has been something of a democracy on and off for over 200 years.

Haiti has always been populated with African tribesmen for all its history. The Africans in Haiti never gave up their tribal ways. Voodoo is the dominate religion. They never adopted Western thought. They speak an African creole and a French-like patois. Conceptually Haiti is still back in the jungles of Africa.

Haiti is a violent culture populated by individuals devoid of impulse control. All this has combined to turn Haiti into a dystopian wasteland. These are absolutely the last people any sane person would bring to America.

Wakanda it is not.

[Bob434]

Hey Eugene

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4265955/posts

Don’t piss on us and tell us it’s raining fella! We’ve had enough of your BS!

[FlingWingFlyer]

I think the Springfield politicians are looking forward to all those taxpayer dollars their 25,000 Haitian solidarians will be bringing in with them.

[crazyhorse691]

Eugene Robinson is one of the most prolific rascist writers I have encountered.

[Agatsu77]

So much BS. If they were back in their own s^^thole they would not be turning Ohio into one.

[stylin19a]

Temporary Protected Status is suppose to end 08/2025 for Haitians.
Pres. Trump tried to end it for a lot of countries his first time around and the courts stuck it in his ear.

[jdt1138]

I saw the source and skipped to the comments. How about the headline:

Modern Day Slaves Imported From The Islands

[Brandonmark]

None of that is true.

Yep

[Harpotoo]

Trump lured dem right into his Trap and even kind of gave it away to these idiots when he said he will Visit there in the next 2 weeks;-)

[RedMonqey]

Remember Carl Rowan
who wrote racial propaganda for the Washington Post?
He was virulently anti gun even after he pulled one in an “uninvited visitor” in his pool house!
His excuse? He lived in a rough neighborhood!

[Islander7]

I lived in central Florida for 7 years. The Haitians there were rude, demanding, entitled, and stupid.

[blitz128]

It is? Humm

[GranTorino]

I refer to Richard as Dick Dewine.
I interacted with his office on covid policy.
The name fits.

[Does so]

“Democracy Dies With Democrats”
.
.

Democracy Dies After Dark...

[Does so]

South Florida counties hire them—with good pay plus pensions upon retirement.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

What a bunch of crap. The issue is the sheer number of immigrants in such a small city, and ones from such a vastly different culture.

I'm usually not a fan of Trump saying much of what he says, but he was dead-on with the sh*thole comment. And in case anyone claims it's about race, it would be a vastly different scenario if they were from Nigeria rather than Haiti.