By Kevin Williams
After a week marked by bomb threats that forced the closure of schools, businesses, and City Hall in Springfield, Ohio, the latest weekend commenced with two hospitals in the city going into lockdown. A search of the facilities on Saturday morning found nothing, but the new threats added to the stress that has lingered since former President Donald Trump centered the city in his presidential campaign.
During Tuesday’s debate, Trump referenced a discredited rumor about Haitian immigrants in Springfield allegedly abducting and consuming pets, and just days later he pledged to kickstart his mass deportation campaign targeting Haitians in Springfield, despite many being in the United States legally.
The increasingly dangerous language from Trump, politicians, and certain extremist groups has unsettled many of the thousands of Haitians who have found refuge in Springfield in recent years.
“Honestly, I don’t feel safe. It’s not good right now,” remarked Jean-Patrick Louisius, 40, who relocated to Springfield four years ago with his wife and two daughters. He was among the initial wave of Haitian immigrants attracted to the city for its abundant job opportunities and affordable living conditions. Estimates suggest that the number of Haitians who have relocated here in recent years is between 12,000 and 20,000.
Tensions between long-term residents and newer arrivals had been rising even before the national media turned its attention to the city, located about 25 miles from Dayton.
While Haitian immigrants have generally been embraced by employers and revitalized declining neighborhoods, the rapid influx of thousands has strained local schools and certain government resources.
A tragic incident last year, where an 11-year-old boy lost his life when his school bus was hit by a minivan operated by a Haitian immigrant, escalated the anxiety and anger surrounding the increasing immigrant community, drawing attention well beyond the city limits.
Louisius owns a small Haitian market that facilitates money transfers to Haiti, provides groceries, and offers haircuts.
He established the market, named 509 after Haiti’s international dialing code, after having worked in a warehouse and at Target, and initially, he experienced a steady flow of customers, he expressed.
However, rising tensions in recent months have compelled many Haitians to adopt a lower profile or even relocate out of the city.
Currently, the shelves at 509 are largely empty, stocked with just a few essentials, like cassava and rice, and not long ago, he suffered a $5,000 loss due to a burglary, he mentioned.
“I’m uncertain about my ability to remain in business because people are leaving,” Louisius remarked, noting that he knows individuals who have moved to Dayton or Columbus, larger cities where Haitians might blend in more easily.
On Friday, Louisius kept the store closed, anxious for the safety of himself and his family. He reported that someone had been outside his shop on Thursday filming it.
At the Soapbox Coin Laundry in downtown Springfield, dozens were engaged in washing and folding clothes. Almost all conversations were conducted in Haitian Creole.
Fejoans John, 24, moved to Springfield from Gonaïves, Haiti. He too has contemplated relocating elsewhere away from Springfield.
“All the attention has created tension between the Haitian community and the native Springfield residents,” shared Joseph Melvin, a lifelong Springfieldian employed at the laundry, who has sometimes felt frustration towards some Haitian immigrants.
“Most of them are kind individuals, but a handful are rude, which complicates matters for everyone else,” Melvin noted.
Vilés Dorsainvil, head of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center, expressed that the anxiety of the past week has been draining.
“We came here to work and nurture our families, but the pressure has become overwhelming for many,” Dorsainvil stated.
“We were already fatigued from the situation in Haiti. We didn’t come here for this,” he further added.
Chester Brigham III, 62, a lifelong Springfield resident, observed that the influx of newcomers has burdened local services, leading to long waits and delays due to language difficulties.
“Who fund their journey to get here, and who is providing them with assistance?” questioned Brigham, who was seated on his porch Saturday.
Conversely, Denise Williams, the president of the local NAACP chapter, stated that the upheaval has created an opportunity to forge stronger relationships between the Black newcomers from Haiti and the long-established Black residents of Springfield.
“They are warm and wonderful individuals. We have embraced them. I have had ample interactions with them; they are just like us,” Williams affirmed, adding that any attack on Haitians in Springfield represents an attack on all Black individuals.
She claimed that the negative reactions towards Haitians in the area are rooted in racism.
“This city has seen a surge of Mexicans and Indians without issues, but the moment all these Black individuals show up in Springfield, there’s sheer panic,” Williams lamented.
Dorsainvil suggested that as the attention subsides, most Haitians will stay and be joined by others. However, many Haitians currently feel they escaped hardship in Haiti only to encounter adversity in the United States.
“We are fleeing from the river only to find ourselves in the ocean,” he said, translating a saying from Haiti.
“That mirrors the feelings of many here.”
