In addition to Springfield police, uniformed officers from the Cincinnati police department and State Highway Patrol were present, checking the building and grounds along with local officers.
Those in attendance passed through metal detectors as they entered the building for the regularly scheduled commission session.
Mayor Rob Rue indicated he has received several hours worth of telephone calls and voicemails full of “vitriol and hate, including threats of attacks on my family members.” He acknowledged he is not the only one who has had to endure extreme stress after fallout from misinformation shared on social media by thousands of people, and amplified by Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“I want to show support for all of those who have had to endure these past two weeks, especially the children and teachers in our schools who experienced fear as the result of bomb threats.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Rue expressed appreciation to the police departments regionally that have demonstrated support for the city and provided additional manpower to ensure the safety of the community as well as those agencies, organizations and individuals threatened.
A local mental health care provider indicated she has seen a surge in the need for mental health services for children who have been terrorized by the threats against their schools.
Schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, government offices and private individuals were all targeted with threatening emails and telephone calls in the aftermath of false social media claims about Haitians allegedly stealing and eating people’s pet dogs and cats, which have been repeated by Trump during the presidential debate and at rallies.
Dozens of Springfield residents and others waited in line outside City Hall on Tuesday night to gain entry to the City Commission meeting. Representatives of multiple local, state and national media outlets were there too.
Despite that, the meeting room was not as packed as some previous sessions have been, and while the public discussion included angry expressions about Haitian immigration and city response, there were more calls for unity than at previous commission meetings.
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