SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — For many Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday mornings are a time of joyful worship, singing and praying in their native Creole. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting comfort more than ever.
Their community is upset, confused, frustrated and hurt by false accusations that they are eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. Now widespread and highly politicized rumors, fueled by the likes of former President Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, and violent threats against their community, have upended daily life in their city.
“Jesus is with us in the truth, and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets or geese in Springfield,” said the Rev. Carl Ruby, who was preaching at Central Christian Church, where he called on community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest against the false rumors being hurled against their Haitian neighbors.
They also demanded an apology.
“It is true that retracting these rumors will help restore peace in Springfield,” Ruby said. “We respectfully call on all politicians and media members who are spreading these rumors to work together to make Springfield a great and safe place again by telling the truth about our community.”
Viles D’Aussainville, leader of the Haitian Community Outreach and Support Center in Springfield, accepted Ruby’s invitation to worship with him at Central Christian, grateful to be able to rely on his faith.
“Because we are Christians, it’s important for us to be here. No matter what happens, good times or bad, we worship,” he said. “I feel relieved to be in God’s presence. It’s healing.”
And he told Trump and Vance: “If they have the heart of God, they will think and speak differently.”
The rumors, spread by Trump on social media and during Tuesday’s televised presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, have exacerbated fears of division and anti-immigrant sentiment ahead of the election in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000 where more than 15,000 Haitians now live and work.
Thousands of Haitian immigrants have landed in Springfield legally under the U.S. Temporary Protected Status program in recent years as long-running unrest in their home country gave way to a rise in gang violence and the city became a Haitian enclave.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said the federal government needs to step up to help cities like Springfield handle the influx of migrants. On ABC’s “This Week,” DeWine called Haitians good, hard-working people who are in the U.S. legally and said the rumors are internet trash.
“There is absolutely no evidence of this,” he said on the show.
Despite the governor and local officials denying the rumors, Governor Vance repeated the conspiracy theory on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday and slammed Governor Harris’ U.S.-Mexico border policies.
At Central Christian Church, Ruby encouraged congregants to help distribute thousands of cards around Springfield printed in Creole and English with messages of support for Haitians, including one that read, “I’m glad you’re here. Christ loves you. I love you too.”
As the service ended, Ruby praised his parishioners for a beautiful moment amid what he called a whirlwind of chaos. As he looked at the Haitian parishioners in the front row and the rest of the congregation, he asked them to pray with him: “Please prayerfully consider what it is like to be a Haitian parent this week sending your child to school.”
One such parent is Mia Perez, 35, an immigration lawyer whose 9-year-old daughter had to be evacuated from school twice this week because of bomb threats at a nearby DMV.
“At school, other kids ask them, ‘What does dog taste like?’ ‘What does cat taste like?'” Perez said of her daughter’s struggles.
“She’s asking, ‘Are we Haitians that eat this? Is it true? What’s going on?'”
“This was something I wasn’t ready to discuss with my daughter,” Perez said. “I felt like our culture was being disrespected.”
Among those attending Sunday’s service at Central Christian Church was Rose Tamar Joseph, 40, who works at the Haitian Community Center.
“I was praying for peace and protection for the Haitian community and for all of Springfield,” she said. “I just want Springfield to go back to how it was a few months ago.”
__
Associated Press religion coverage is funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. and supported by The Conversation US in collaboration with . is solely responsible for this content.
This article has been generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.