A Haitian organization has filed a legal complaint demanding the arrest of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. The group accuses them of spreading harmful lies about immigrants, claiming that they said Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating pets” like cats and dogs. This false accusation has sparked fear in the Haitian community and caused public alarm.
The nonprofit group behind this complaint, the Haitian Bridge Alliance, along with its leader, Guerline Jozef, took legal action in Clark County Municipal Court, Ohio. In a bench memorandum, Jozef respectfully submitted an affidavit under R.C. 2935.09(A) and (D), which allows citizens to file charges directly with the court. This affidavit charges Trump and Vance with several criminal offenses, including:
- R.C. 2909.04(A) and (B) (Disrupting Public Services)
- R.C. 2917.32(A) (Making False Alarms)
- R.C. 2923.03(4) (Complicity)
- R.C. 2917.21(A) (Telecommunications Harassment)
- R.C. 2903.21(A) (Aggravated Menacing)
The Haitian Bridge Alliance argues that Trump and Vance “orchestrated a campaign of lies,” spreading harmful narratives that endangered the Haitian community. They state, “At every turn,” local officials, fact-checkers, and the press informed Trump and Vance that their claims about Haitians eating pets were false, yet they continued to spread these lies during their campaign.
Trump has a long history of spreading false claims about immigrants. Time and again, he has used lies to make people afraid. Back in 2016, when he first ran for president, he famously said that Mexican immigrants were “bringing drugs” and were “rapists.” Many people were shocked and called his words racist and untrue. Unfortunately, this was just one of many times Trump spread harmful ideas about immigrants.
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The latest allegations claim that Trump and Vance’s false accusations against Haitian immigrants have caused real harm. Chandra emphasized,
“Trump knew his statements about Springfield’s Haitian community were false and likely to cause a public inconvenience and alarm. He knew because his and Vance’s words were already causing public inconvenience and alarm, as expressed by the mayor and the governor.”
You know you’ve really messed up when your words start causing chaos. According to Attorney Subodh Chandra, Trump and Vance “must be held accountable to the rule of law” for their reckless behavior. He added, “Anyone else who wreaked havoc the way they did would have been arrested by now.” This situation is similar to past controversies involving Trump and his use of false claims. For instance, during his 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly said that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrated after the September 11 attacks, a claim that was debunked by fact-checkers. These kinds of false statements are often used by Trump to create fear and division, and they have been a recurring theme in his political career.
Why does this matter? Spreading lies about immigrants can create big problems. It leads to fear, violence, and division in communities. For instance, when Trump called COVID-19 the “China Virus,” hate crimes against Asian Americans increased. His words can cause real harm, which is why it’s important for leaders to be responsible for what they say.
Now, the Haitian group is fighting back. They are using the law to hold Trump and Vance accountable for their harmful lies about Haitians. Whether this legal action will lead to anything big, well, that’s up to the courts. The Haitian community in Springfield is done with these tall tales. They’re fighting back, and honestly, who can blame them?
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
