By JULIE CARR SMYTH
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — In the quiet corners of Springfield, Ohio — out of sight of the drumbeat of politicians and journalists, troopers and newly installed security cameras — the people who live here are taking a breath, praying and attempting to carry on.
Between the morning bomb sweeps of Springfield’s schools and the near daily afternoon media briefings, a hush comes over the city of 58,000 that residents say is uncanny, haunting even. It’s fear. It’s confusion — dismay at being transformed overnight into a target for the nation’s vitriol.
Mugs that read “Speak a Good Word for Springfield or say nothing” are displayed in the Champion City Guide & Supply shop window on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pastor Andy Mobley, who runs the Family Needs Inc. food pantry on the city’s south side, said people are hunkered down out of the public eye. He said they’re hoping the attention sparked by former President Donald Trump spreading unsubstantiated rumors about the city’s legal Haitian immigrants eating house pets during last week’s presidential debate will blow over.
Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Ohio’s junior Sen. JD Vance, have used the cat-eating rumors to draw attention to the city’s 15,000 Haitian immigrants, whose arrival to fill manufacturing, distribution and warehouse jobs has put a severe strain on local resources.
The sun rises over the city of Springfield, Ohio, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Since the Republican candidates’ initial comments, more than two dozen bomb threats — mostly from foreign actors seeking to sow discord — have prompted the state to send in additional state troopers and install surveillance cameras around the city in order to reopen schools and government buildings.
“We’ve got good people here. Republican, Democrat. They’re good people,” Mobley said Tuesday, as the pantry tended to a steady stream of clients seeking clothing and food.
Pastor Andrew E. Mobley, Sr. pauses in his office at The Family Needs, Inc. food pantry, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Resident Josh Valle said the situation is unsettling.
“We definitely need answers,” said the 35-year-old tool and die repairman, who has lived in Springfield for decades. “It’s affecting my kids and my community and my neighbors. With the bomb threats and the influx, it’s something new every day. And this used to be a really chill town, you know, it used to be just a small town Ohio.”
The area around Springfield City Hall, where Valle spoke, sat largely silent Tuesday afternoon, until a news conference with state and local officials prompted a brief swarm of activity. Local families are avoiding schools in the wake of earlier bomb threats, even though dozens of troopers have fanned out across the Springfield City School District to stand guard. Some 200 of 500 students were absent Tuesday from a single elementary school, officials said.
Items supporting Springfield, Ohio, including the slogan “Speak a Good Word for Springfield or say nothing,” …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
