Pastor in Ohio town says residents are laying low and praying for political firestorm to blow over

In the quiet corners of Springfield, Ohio — out of sight of the drumbeat of politicians and journalists and troopers and security camera installations — real people are breathing, praying and attempting to carry on.

Between the morning bomb sweep of Springfield’s schools and the near daily afternoon media briefing, a hush comes over the city that locals say is uncanny, haunting even. It’s fear. It’s confusion. It’s dismay at being transformed overnight into a target for the nation’s vitriol.

Pastor Andy Mobley, who runs the Family Needs Inc. food pantry on the city’s south side, said people are hunkered down out of the public eye. He said they’re hoping the attention sparked by former President Donald Trump spreading unsubstantiated rumors about the city’s legal Haitian immigrants eating house pets during last week’s presidential debate will blow over.

Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Ohio’s junior U.S. senator JD Vance, have used the cat-eating rumors to draw attention to the 15,000 Haitian immigrants whose arrival in Springfield to fill area manufacturing, distribution and warehouse jobs has put a severe strain on local resources.

Since their initial comments, more than two dozen bomb threats since then have prompted the state to send in additional state troopers and to install surveillance cameras visible around the city in order to reopen schools and government buildings.

Years ago, Family Needs Inc. was designated one of President George H.W. Bush’s “thousand points of light,” honoring its dedication to volunteerism. The organization has helped Haitians arriving in Springfield for years now, Mobley said — providing them translation services and co-signing their rental agreements.

He said the influx of immigrants began long before President Joe Biden took office.

“In 2016, we started signing contracts. Through the pandemic, we were doing things for the Haitian community,” he said. “Has that all been forgotten? They have been here, and we’ve been dealing with this, and we’ve been asking for help through two different administrations. And no administration has helped us, until now this thing has become public.”