In Springfield, some Haitians are still anxious amid bomb threats and false rumors of immigrants eating resident pets.
Things became extremely tense in the city after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeatedly interjected these rumors as an example of what he calls the Biden-Harris failed immigration policy.
His running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance compounded the alarm after admitting to ‘creating stories’ about the city’s Haitian community as a way to force the media to pay attention to the suffering of American people.
Now, some of these newcomers are leaning on their faith and are finding support from Springfield’s religious community.
Meanwhile, Pastor Reginald Silencieux believed in 2021 that God’s plan brought him to Springfield, Ohio.
On a sweltering afternoon, he wore a white knit Aeropostale shirt and black slacks, standing outside the First Evangelical Haitian Church of Springfield, where he’s pastor. The one-story brick building accommodates several hundred Haitian congregants, all legally in the United States. Through an interpreter, Silencieux said his congregation is anxious.
“As Haitians, we are scared. Like, to get out because we've been receiving a lot of threats physically and verbally," Silencieux said. "It comes in different forms. Like the last time, even in the yard of the church, some people, they can physically try to threaten us and try and say a lot of things. And we've been receiving like threats like through the phone."
According to Silencieux, comments by Trump and Vance are fueling the hate talk. More than 30 bomb threats have flooded the city, its public school district and area colleges.
Now each day, state troopers sweep every public school building prior to classes and during the day, in the city there are mobile police towers and two bomb sniffing dogs on duty.
While talking, Silencieux was interrupted by a knock on the door by Eric Crow, who handed to Pastor Silencieux four grey plastic bags, each filled with Haitian Creole bibles. Since 2019, Crow said his bible study group has given out bibles to other immigrant groups the city. Now he believes it's their mission to buy and donate Haitian Creole bibles.
"We need to love each other. We’re all God’s kids and God wants us all to live together, he doesn’t want hate," Crow said. "God is love and gave his son for us all."
Back at his red pickup truck where his wife Terri was waiting, Crow said
"I’m actually a Trump person and I'm a little upset with him bringing this up."
"Even though the free America guy may be saying some things he shouldn’t say, from what I understand, his heart is to love Americans and do the best for them. And we're judging him through the eyes of the media," Crow said.
Terri is also a Trump supporter. But this grandmother worries the hate speech is hurting her family.
"It is tearing us apart. We have a 10-year-old grandson who’s being exposed to all of this with lots of questions on why all of this is happening," she said. "It’s hard to give him an answer. I told him yesterday all we’re going to do is keep praying a lot for this city and for the people being affected by all of this."
Since around 2019, an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants have settled in Springfield, which previously had a population of close to 60,000. The rapid growth has been straining public services including health care and education and provoking frustrations over the lack of federal support.
The Catholic Conference of Ohio published a letter asking the public to treat Springfield's Haitian immigrants with respect and dignity. Bishop William Barber echoed this sentiment during a vigil outside of Greater Grace Temple, one of the city’s churches.
"Any group that has created such a hostile environment is acting contrary to God, to love and to the constitution that says we are to ensure domestic tranquility and to establish justice," proclaimed Barber. "This attempt to use the attack on immigrants is an attempt to allow people to run for office and not deal with the real issues."
The Clark County Christian Community is also reaching out to their new Haitian neighbors by hosting English classes, organizing joint Sunday services and collaborating with the Haitian Community Help & Support Center, streamlining resources as these immigrants adapt to their new home city.
Amy Willmann, with the Nehemiah Foundation, described one of the first initiatives through an enhanced New Neighbor Network.
"A ten-week class, it is an ESOL class, English for Students of Other Languages, based in a church and that way we can actually provide childcare, infant, pre-school, elementary age, middle school, high school activities that are also English language reinforcing," Willmann said. "However, primarily the classes are for Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, multi-generational experience with snacks and activities."
Silencieux said he’s staying in Springfield and reassures his congregation that what's happening now is "not going to be permanent and God is going to save them from this."
