A Haitian advocacy organization has put legal pen to paper and claimed that former President Donald Trump and his running mate Senator JD Vance broke Ohio law with their racist dog-whistles, according to a recent Miami Herald report. The surprising legal maneuver could be a renewed course of action to challenge dangerous rhetoric directly.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) filed a legal complaint seeking the arrest of the entire Republican presidential ticket, citing broken laws for their repeated false and dehumanizing claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. The document accuses the problematic duo of deliberately spreading a “false and dangerous narrative,” leading to unwarranted threats to Haitians.
The detailed affidavit, filed Tuesday in Clark County Municipal Court, alleges that Trump and Vance violated seven Ohio state laws by amplifying unsubstantiated rumors that Haitian immigrants were eating pets and neighborhood animals. These claims originated from a fourth-hand rumor on a local Facebook group and were amplified by neo-Nazi groups. However, they were quickly thoroughly debunked by local officials and police—but it didn’t stop Trump or Vance.
Despite the lack of evidence whatsoever, an unhinged Trump repeated the false claims during a presidential debate with Kamala Harris, stating, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs — the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” Vance, who represents Ohio in the U.S. Senate, perpetuated these ridiculous rumors while seemingly admitting his deceit, telling CNN, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
The consequences of Trump and Vance’s foolishness have been severe. Per the Springfield Sun-News, the town has faced at least 33 bomb threats and public safety incidents since the spreading of the wild claims, even leading to school closures and local government building shutdowns. The Haitian community in the otherwise sleepy town, estimated to be between 12,000 and 15,000 people, has been left vulnerable and fearful.
“Trump and Vance have knowingly spread a false and dangerous narrative by claiming that Springfield, Ohio’s, Haitian community is criminally killing and eating neighbors’ dogs and cats, and killing and eating geese,” the affidavit states. It accuses the pair of making claims that led to “massive disruptions to public services” and knowingly causing alarm by repeating lies that state and local officials had already refuted as nonsense.
The legal complaint argues that Trump and Vance’s actions go beyond protected speech, stating, “Like those who falsely shout ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater, Trump and Vance do not color within the lines of the First Amendment. They commit criminal acts.”
What the HBA’s affidavit shows is the swift real-world consequences of inane political rhetoric—and the ridiculousness of the people who willingly believe lies—that not only targets and dehumanizes entire communities but reinforces an unfounded stereotype double-whammy about Black people and immigrants. As the 2024 election approaches, the incident informs on how quickly groundless claims can spread and the potential for such dangerous rhetoric to incite fear, division, and even violence.
Published: Sep 30, 2024 12:41 pm