Life feels darker in Springfield, Ohio, since Trump made it his wildest debate talking point, locals say

According to several residents who spoke to BI, a mention by former President Donald Trump in this week’s presidential debate about baseless claims of Haitian immigrants eating pets has created a tense — and, some say, dangerous — atmosphere in Springfield.

Much of this tension is playing out online.

The “Springfield, OH Community” Facebook group was once a forum for people to post restaurant suggestions, discuss store closures, and share local news.

Now it’s descended into chaos, as the small town has unintentionally become a political talking point and a proxy for the contentious national debate on immigration.

Seemingly innocuous posts on the Springfield Facebook group now prompt fierce debate, name-calling, and the spreading of misinformation.

The chaos reached a fever pitch on Tuesday night after Trump mentioned Springfield during his presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a now-viral moment, he said: “In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people who came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Trump was fact-checked, with the moderator noting that city officials have said there are “no credible reports” of the Haitian community doing such a thing.

But, according to Bear, the damage has already been done.

Bear said the heated atmosphere in the town has escalated to the point where restaurants are receiving prank calls asking if cats are on the menu.

And, on Thursday, Springfield’s City Hall was temporarily closed over a bomb threat that used “hateful language” directed at Haitian immigrants in the community, the mayor told The Washington Post.

Bear worries that the place she has always called home, which has a population of about 60,000 people, will “only be remembered as the cat-meme town full of hateful bigots.”

Like many residents, Bear has genuine concerns about the impact of immigration on Springfield — notably the strain on social services, housing, and road safety.

But she said she believes the heated rhetoric has drowned out any possibility of a nuanced debate “in favor of clicks and memes.”

She added: “These are real people, and we will have to live with the real consequences of it.”

One of the consequences of the current climate, said Jessica Eikleberry, a 35-year-old IT technician, is increased racial tensions.

She used to describe the town to outsiders as a quiet and friendly community, but now she fears it has become not only a laughing stock but also a dangerous place to live as a person of color.

‘It’s terrifying’

Eikleberry, who is of Korean heritage, has a Mexican fiancé, and a biracial child, expressed concerns to BI about her family’s safety due to their racial identities.

“It’s terrifying,” she said, adding that she no longer feels welcome in the town she has lived in her entire life.

“It’s just the tension is so high among the citizens of Springfield that you’re just too scared to even leave your house,” she said, adding that she’s seriously considering moving her family out of the town.

Olivia Parkinson, a 24-year-old therapist who has also lived in Springfield her entire life, told BI she now fears the town will develop a reputation as a hotbed of racism.

“The way that they’re basically calling them savages, eating our pets, is going to translate to the other people of color in town,” she said.

Parkinson noted that last month protesters with Nazi flags marched through Springfield, buoyed by the anti-immigrant rhetoric online.

“We have a college in this town, and that’s where I went, and I’m wondering if people are going to want to send their kids to this college anymore,” she said.

On the Facebook group, locals frequently express concern about how the town’s damaged reputation is driving people away, negatively impacting local businesses.

Parkinson said the town’s offerings are now being overshadowed by it becoming a meme.

“There are a lot of good things about Springfield,” she said. “I still choose to live here despite its faults.”

One of the good things, she added, is the work being done by some residents to support Haitians living there.

Author Marjory Wentworth, who helps run cultural projects with Haitians in Springfield, is one of those volunteers.

Wentworth expressed concerns that the local Haitian community is being “used” and “demonized” by outsiders, like Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, for their own political gains.

Springfield’s Haitian community, against their will, is the collateral damage.

“They’re trying to work hard and just do the best they can by their families just like everybody else,” Wentworth told BI. “So this is just all really tragic.”

For Marco Lapaix, a Haitian immigrant who has been living in Springfield for the past five years, the promise of “a better life” in Ohio has come with significant challenges.

He said he encounters unkindness from strangers, and feels that his Haitian identity has led to discrimination, including being denied a commercial lease to open a restaurant.

Lapaix said that all he wants is to be a law-abiding citizen who can make a living and be tolerated in the town he now calls home.

However, the recent national rhetoric has only made that pursuit harder.

“I’m mad, I’m scared, but I know we have to fight to be accepted,” he said.