Last week's debate brought Springfield, Ohio into the national spotlight when Donald Trump mentioned rumors of Haitian migrants eating household pets. Since then, liberal media pundits have accused him of racism and endangering residents. Former presidential candidate and Ohio native Vivek Ramaswamy held a town hall last week to hear from Springfielders in their own words.
Breitbart News reports:
Under the Biden-Harris administration, Haitian migration increased the town's population by an estimated 25 percent, according to the Columbus Dispatch. City critics say it is a Haitian invasion, leading to deaths, displaced residents, and surging insurance rates.
One mother recalled a terrifying experience in which her daughter was chased by a man wielding a giant weapon.
“She was chased by a man with a machete on her way to work. [She] called the police. She told them what had happened and wanted to file a report. Two hours later, the police still had not called her back and never checked on the crime.”
Hosts on MSNBC and CNN have pointed to the Springfield police department and city manager refuting President Trump's claims as evidence that the rumors of pet eating are baseless, but considering accounts like these, it's a possibility that police response could be a deterrent to reporting crimes.
Another resident said, “There simply are too many mass migrants here in this town, and they're too richly subsidized. It's pushing people out of their homes. It's pushing people out of their jobs.”
One attendee lamented, “We are at a level of desperation. We have been put down and called racists, not only in print but also to our faces at city commission meetings.”
The city's Republican mayor declined to participate in the town hall, and instead issued the following statement:
“We are addressing these threats with the seriousness they warrant and are taking immediate steps to ensure the security of both our community and our employees. Our commitment to preventing harm is unwavering.”
City council members were also invited, but declined to participate.
“You came here from [Cincinnati]. We have city officials that live right here in Springfield, and have not set up a meeting like this…Why can't the city officials do this?…We're paying for those. I've been in Springfield for 66 years…how will you know about a city if you're not bringing the people together and talking to them?”
“Before I came here I was in city hall. I met with a number of the city officials. I invited them to be here tonight. I thought it'd be productive because I don't have the power other than through philanthropy or through public advocacy to change something here…I invited them to be here because they're in the position to run the city. I know many of you may feel like your leadership doesn't care — I met with them, I don't think that's true. I sat there for an hour with them…I think they actually really do care — at least the subset I met with…But I will tell you what I do see happening in the country, I think there's a culture of fear…I think the reason they're not here tonight is not because they don't care about this, it's because they're scared. And I think that culture of fear has spread like an epidemic across our country.”
Vivek received a standing ovation at the end of the town hall. At one point, he was asked if he'd consider running for the governor of Ohio and answered, “I'm a little more inclined than I was about 10 seconds ago.”
