Former journalist Bill Monahan told The Blaze News' Julio Rosas that some Springfield residents are afraid to voice their concerns about the influx of 20,000 Haitian nationals for fear of being labeled racist or intolerant if they want to protect their community.
Monahan told Rosas that plans to relocate tens of thousands of Haitians to the area began long before residents even knew about it, starting with the city's “Welcome Springfield” initiative in 2014. Local officials believed the plan would solve the city's declining population, but with no strategy in place to assimilate the newcomers, the area now faces many problems.
“I think being ignored or called racist is a big reason why people feel uneasy about speaking up.”
“This is happening everywhere. It's not just in Springfield,” Monahan said. “To me, this battle was lost before we even knew we were in it.”
The Springfield area has come under increased attention in the past month after Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump alleged that he and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), were eating local wildlife and pets.
This week, Monahan took Rosas to a nearby park that used to be full of ducks but is now deserted.
“This pond used to be full,” Monahan said. “They don't migrate. They lived around here. So they all went extinct. I heard the Haitians ate them. I don't know if that's true, but I was curious to see what was going on.”
Monahan explained that these allegations prompted him to start attending city hall meetings to find out what was going on in his community.
“I've been really shocked by the hatred and disregard they have shown for people who are raising concerns about other issues surrounding the immigration crisis,” Monahan said of city leaders.
He told The Blaze-News he had planned to spend the rest of his life in Springfield, but is now actively considering moving because of the issues created by immigration influx. He said some of the most concerning issues facing the community include rising rent prices, an increase in traffic accidents and strained emergency services.
Rosas asked Monahan if some residents are afraid to voice their concerns for fear of retaliation from city leaders, such as being labeled racist or hateful.
“It's visible, so people have a lot of concern,” Monahan said, adding that city leaders have largely ignored residents' concerns.
“They're ignoring you. They're insinuating that your concerns are based in some misguided racial animus when again people are raising issues of a lack of affordable housing, a lack of housing itself, jobs that aren't being filled locally are being filled through temp agencies that have contracts to basically bring large numbers of immigrants to Springfield,” he said.
“I think being ignored and being called racist is a big reason people are concerned about talking about it,” Monahan said.
Monahan told Rosas that local residents are “losing their homes,” and he explained that those lucky enough to keep their homes are now spending more because of rising rents.
Until recently, Monahan helped manage a Facebook group called “Stop the Influx into Springfield, Ohio,” made up of local residents concerned about mass immigration.
Monahan told Blaze News that one business owner in the Facebook group didn't want to draw too much attention to his immigration concerns for fear of retaliation.
She also noted that one woman in the group had said her grandson needed special education services but could not get them because “the slots were filled with Haitian children.”
“The problem is real,” Monahan added.
Monahan said the city has failed to properly integrate Haitian nationals into the community.
Rosas asked Monahan to share some of the community's cultural concerns.
“Reckless driving is a big problem,” he continued. “It's a misogynistic culture.”
Monahan said some local women have reported being followed by Haitians in stores, and that some immigrants have a tendency to invade others' personal space and be intimidating, she said.
“I've seen it, but we don't behave like that here. We don't walk around in stores banging on our cell phones, we don't walk around in stores eating fruit out of trash cans, we don't walk around in stores throwing trash on the ground, we don't relieve ourselves in public,” Monahan explained. “Again, not all Haitians are like this, but a lot of them don't seem to care about the social norms here, so it's a bit of a tricky situation.”
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