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Springfield city offices are reopening a day after bomb threat caused evacuations

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In Springfield, Ohio, city offices are reopening today after a bomb threat caused widespread evacuations. That threat came after former President Donald Trump raised claims in Tuesday's debate, for which officials have repeatedly said there's no evidence, that Haitian immigrants are eating people's pets. From member station WYSO, Kathryn Mobley has this report.

KATHRYN MOBLEY, BYLINE: The FBI is investigating the bomb threat sent by email to city hall. Law enforcement officials did not say there was any connection, but the threat came after former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, amplified false rumors about Haitians in Springfield. Claims originated on a group Facebook page. Repeatedly, city leaders, including Mayor Rob Rue, say police investigations revealed no evidence substantiating the pet-eating claims.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROB RUE: The news story regarding a cat being killed or consumed did not originate in Springfield. It actually involved a Canton woman who was arrested for animal cruelty last month.

MOBLEY: In recent years, about 15,000 Haitians, many with legal status, have settled in Springfield, a city of almost 60,000. Haitian businessman Jacob Payne and his family recently moved to the city. He believes there should have been thorough research before accusations were made.

JACOB PAYNE: I'm afraid that Mr. Trump may be using these allegations or false accusation for political gain.

MOBLEY: Others agree with Payne. Nathan Clark's 11-year-old son died last year when a Haitian immigrant driver hit the boy's school bus. Clark wants Trump and others to stop invoking his son's name in the national debate over immigration.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NATHAN CLARK: This needs to stop now. They are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio. I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies.

MOBLEY: Religious and community leaders yesterday also called for an apology. Denise Williams is president of the local NAACP chapter. She urged residents to not let negative rhetoric tear the city apart.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DENISE WILLIAMS: Let's come together in love. Let's come together in harmony. You have Haitians here who are engineers, businesspeople. They are raising a family just like we are. Just because their skin is dark don't mean that they are here to destroy our city.

MOBLEY: The churches and nonprofits represented say they're collaborating to create a new neighbor network. It will connect Haitian immigrants with area service providers.

For NPR News, I'm Kathryn Mobley in Springfield, Ohio. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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