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EXCLUSIVE: Springfield residents clamming up about fallout of Haitian immigration over fears of being labeled bigots
Some Springfield residents are too afraid to voice their concerns about the influx of 20,000 Haitian nationals over fears they will be labeled as racist or intolerant for wanting to preserve their community, Bill Monaghan, a former journalist, told Blaze News' Julio Rosas.Monaghan told Rosas that the plan to relocate tens of thousands of Haitians into the area started long before residents even realized it — in 2014, when the city launched the "Welcome Springfield" initiative. While local officials believed the plan would solve the city's population decline, without a strategy in place to assimilate new arrivals, the area is now facing a number of issues.'Being ignored and being called racist is, I think, a big part of the reason why people are concerned about talking.'"It's happening all over. It's not just Springfield," Monaghan noted. "To me, this battle was lost before we knew we were even in one."Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump has brought more attention to the Springfield area over the past month after he and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance (R), stated that Haitian nationals were eating the local wildlife and pets.Monaghan took Rosas to a nearby park this week, where he said ducks used to congregate, but now there are none."This pond used to be full," Monaghan stated. "They don't migrate; they lived around here. So, they were all wiped out, and I was told it was by Haitians who eat them. Don't know if that's true or not, but it got me curious what was going on."Monaghan explained that the claims prompted him to start attending city hall meetings to learn about what was happening in his community."I was just really struck by how hateful and dismissive they were toward people who were raising concerns about other issues around the migrant crisis," Monaghan said of the city leaders. He told Blaze News that he had expected to spend the rest of his life in Springfield but noted that he is now actively considering moving because of the issues caused by the influx of immigrants. Some of the most concerning problems facing the community include rising rental costs, increases in traffic accidents, and overwhelmed emergency services, he said.Rosas asked Monaghan whether some residents are afraid to voice their concerns out of fear of retaliation from city leaders, such as being labeled as racist or hateful."That's a huge concern people have because you can see it," Monaghan said, adding that the city's leaders have largely ignored residents' concerns."They ignore you. They insinuate that your concerns are based in some sort of misplaced racial antipathy when people are raising, again, issues like lack of affordable housing, lack of housing at all, jobs that aren't posted locally that are being basically hired out through temp agencies that have contracts to bring mass migrants into Springfield," he remarked."Being ignored and being called racist is, I think, a big part of the reason why people are concerned about talking," Monaghan remarked. Monaghan told Rosas that locals "are losing their homes." He explained that residents fortunate enough to keep their homes are spending more because of rising rental costs.Until recently, Monaghan helped manage a Facebook group called "Stop the Influx Into Springfield, Ohio," which is comprised of locals concerned about mass immigration. Monaghan told Blaze News about one business owner who is a part of the Facebook group and does not want to draw too much attention to the concerns about the immigrants over fears of retaliation.He also noted that one of the women in the group has said that her grandson requires special education services but that he is unable to obtain them because "Haitian children have filled up those slots.""The issues are real," Monaghan added.According to Monaghan, the city has failed to properly integrate the Haitian nationals into the community. Rosas asked Monaghan to share some of the community's cultural concerns."The reckless driving is a huge one," he continued. "It's a more misogynistic kind of culture."Monaghan noted that some local women have reported being followed around in stores by Haitians. He said some of the immigrants tend to be intimidating toward others by encroaching on their personal space. "I've seen that, and you just don't behave that way here. You don't walk around the store with your cellphone just blasting. You don't walk around the store eating fruit out of the bins and throwing your trash on the ground. You don't relieve yourself in public," Monaghan explained. "Again, not all Haitians, but a lot of them don't seem to have any interest in our social norms around here. So, it makes it kind of a tough fit."
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