Grown-ups: they believe everything they read on the internet, don’t they? Case in point: Donald Trump‘s insistence that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH, are catching and eating people’s pets, as well as geese and ducks at the park, despite the story being roundly considered false. But has Trump considered how the nation’s pets feel?
The Springfield city manager and police department have said there is no evidence anything like that is happening in the town, where approximately 15,000 Haitian immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, due to political and civil unrest in their country live legally, allowing them to work. The influx in the previously economically depressed small town has strained social services but claims that Haitian immigrants are killing and eating animals in the city are unsubstantiated. Still, Trump’s VP pick, J.D. Vance, amplified the rumor on social media, and Trump brought it up at the ABC News presidential debate.
That such a ludicrous and frankly racist claim is in mainstream political discourse is outrageous enough. At the very least, Donald Trump’s pet-eating immigrant debate comments generated choice memes as the country’s pets reacted to the news their friends were on the menu. Did ABC News consider an animal content warning before the debate started?
Trump gave our dogs and cats nightmares
As Trump rambled about pets for dinner in Springfield, OH — which ABC fact-checked on air, much to Trump’s displeasure — one doggy had heard enough and ducked behind the couch, as Tarquin shared on X. On TikTok, several posts showed cats and dogs reacting to what he said. Was Trump trying to appeal to the undecided four-legged voter?
Even Snoop Dogg had a hard time believing what he heard.
Or was there perhaps an interstellar visitor with an appetite for feline flesh that Trump was thinking of?
Or was it a different Springfield Trump was referring to?
How did the Haitian immigrant pet-eating rumor get started?
In Aug. 2024, Canton, Ohio police arrested 27-year-old Allexis Telia Ferrell for allegedly killing and eating a cat in what was likely a mental health crisis. Canton police confirmed Ferrell was a lifelong Canton resident. Also, a picture posted on Reddit without context seemed to show a man carrying two dead Canadian geese across an intersection. The caption stated the photo was taken in Columbus, Ohio’s largest city. A few clips shared online also seem to show some Springfield residents complaining to city officials about it happening, but they offer no proof beyond hearsay.
According to the Springfield News-Sun, Springfield police have received no complaints of missing or stolen pets. Springfield police stated it’s “not something that’s on our radar right now.” Meanwhile, Springfield City Manager, Bryan Heck, said in part, ” … we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Immigrant-related tensions in Springfield also heightened when 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed in a school bus traffic accident involving a Haitian immigrant driving without a license. Referring to the tragedy, Clark’s father, Nathan Clark said,
They have spoken my son’s name and used his death for political gain. This needs to stop, now. They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members. However they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.”
Overall, as major news outlets and Springfield city officials, including the town’s mayor, say, the pet-eating rumors are unsubstantiated. Can politics get back to some real problems now? We’ll keep you updated.
Published: Sep 11, 2024 02:23 pm