More bomb threats hit Springfield, Ohio, after Trump elevates false claims about Haitians

Hospitals were sent into lockdown, government buildings shut down and local schools evacuated

Two hospitals in #Springfield, Ohio, were sent into #lockdown after #bomb #threats, police said on Saturday,
marking ♦️the fourth such case in as many days that appears ♦️linked to false claims circulating among the far right that Haitian #immigrants there are #eating domestic #pets and wildlife.

Saturday’s threats came 🔸even after the woman who started the rumors acknowledged to NBC News that they were #unfounded and publicly apologized.🔸

#Kettering Health Springfield was one of the medical facilities targeted, with officials later saying they found nothing suspicious during a search. Another hospital, #Mercy Health’s Springfield regional medical center, received a similar threat.

A spokesperson with Mercy Health said the hospital had continued to operate and thanked Springfield police as well as hospital staff “for their swift, efficient and caring response”.

The bomb threats on Saturday came after others had been called in to #government #buildings Thursday, forcing their closure and causing local #schools to be #evacuated.
“We recognize that the past few days have been particularly challenging for everyone in our community,” Springfield police said in a statement. Police added “we remain fully committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of each and every person”.

On Friday, a Springfield woman,
👉#Erika #Lee, #apologized for rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets that resulted from a post she wrote on Facebook claiming that the friend of a neighbor’s daughter lost her cat – and then found the animal strung up outside the home of a Haitian family.

🔸Lee now says she had no firsthand knowledge of the claim. The neighbor referenced in the post, Kimberly Newton, revealed that she also had heard the story from an acquaintance and not her daughter.
Lee said she was filled with regret and insists she never intended to put a target on the backs of the Haitian community.

“It just exploded into something I didn’t mean to happen,” Lee told NBC News on Friday.
❇️Local authorities in Springfield had already debunked the lies even 🔸before #Donald #Trump made the allegation that Haitian immigrants were eating pets during the debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday.
Lee told the outlet she never imagined her social media post would become fodder for #conspiracy #theories and #hate aimed at the Haitian community in Springfield.

theguardian.com/us-news/2024/s…