Springfield community members gather for peace and support for Haitian migrants

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Non-profit organization Red, Wine and Blue hosted a zoom call to bring the public closer to the ongoing situation in Springfield, Ohio.

The city has been wrapped up in a whirlwind of controversy after claims from former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, that Haitian migrants were eating pets.

Officials, including the mayor of Springfield, have repeatedly told the public that no such thing has happened.

Following those claims, the city was hit with dozens of bombs and shooting threat hoaxes, according to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

Speakers in the virtual town hall included a Haitian minister who lives in Springfield, local parents, teachers and members of the nearby chapter of the NAACP.

“As legal immigrants living in Springfield, we are deeply hurt,” said Reverend Madet Merove, who is also a Haitian immigrant.

“The threats continue to come,” said Pastor Tracey Paschike-Johannes, who works at Wittenberg University, one of the schools affected by the threat hoaxes.

The organization’s online fundraiser had raised over $90,000 by late Sunday evening.

More than 2,000 people joined the call to hear from the speakers and learn more about the situation in Springfield.

The money raised is being donated to the Haitian Community Help and Support Center and Springfield City School District, according to a spokesperson for the event.

The mass zoom call was not the only way the Springfield community was brought together on Sunday.

Bishop William Barber held a similar event of his own, by gathering different religious leaders across the City of Springfield in a moment of unity.

“Do not reject God, by rejecting your Haitian neighbors,” said Bishop Barber.