Then Donald Trump repeated this crazy thing during the recent debate. He was fact checked in real time and didn't back down. He has since repeated it over and over. The city of Springfield has said it isn't happening. The person who started the viral spread of the story said she had no evidence. But then people came out of the woodwork saying the heard it from someone. Sometimes getting more fantastical than the last time. Trump now says that he will send ICE into Springfield to deport all the illegals there. But the Haitian immigrants are not in the country illegally, the city sees them as good citizens, and the community is rallying around them.
But since the elevation of the story we have seen bomb threats at municipal buildings and schools. Threats of violence against Haitians from many online. And the Proud Boys, the white nationalist supporters of Donald Trump who helped lead the attack on democracy on January 6th, marched through the streets of Springfield. If not deescalated I am sure blood will be shed. But today, Sunday, September 15th, 5 days after Trump and his Vice-Presidential nominee started the fire of hate and fed the flames with nonsense and bigotry, Vance went on national television and said in reference to this "Dana, the evidence is the firsthand account of my constituents who are telling me that this happened… The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast." So he admitted the story is false, he knew it was false, he promoted it even though it was false and not the Haitian community, a community he says are illegal, they are not, is being terrorized. I would say this is something new but it isn't.
For centuries we have seen this kind of thing said about the Jewish community. Jews have been called outsiders, agitators, and of course accused of killing Christian children for their blood. Throughout Europe in the middle ages through today on the same internet channels that promoted this false story we still see this and echoes of it. The results of these kinds of made-up lies about the Jewish community led to pogroms where entire communities were devastated by angry mobs of people who believed the "first hand accounts" that turned out to be false. When I heard the Proud Boys were coming to town I worried this is the start of something not the end. As JD Vance, a Senator, a candidate to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, told the American people he is willing to make things up about and entire community to rile up the hate in others I can't for the life of me think what kind of person would continue to support such vile people. This isn't about immigration policy, Trump certainly doesn't care about that, it is about attacking a group of people who have no real voice to gin up that hate. To give people someone to blame for their own situation in life. This cannot be what a major political party in our country stands for and should not be something that is lauded.
Donald Trump and JD Vance appear to be comfortable lying about groups of people who were embraced by a community that need a work force to grow or simply sustain themselves. I am happy to see Republicans in Ohio, including the government and the local government push back on this nonsense. But history tells up that it is no laughing matter as so many have taken to making it. Donald Trump and JD Vance are toying with embracing crimes against humanity. You can join them or stand against them. You have a choice. Choose wisely.
