Springfield Cancels Festival Celebrating Diversity Amid Safety Concerns
The town of Springfield, Ohio, has been forced to cancel a planned cultural festival over safety concerns as Republicans continue to level racist attacks against the town’s Haitian community.
On Monday, the city announced that Springfield’s annual CultureFest, scheduled to take place Sept. 27 and 28, has been called off by city officials.
CultureFest “is an event that celebrates diversity, arts and local culture. City officials, in consultation with local and state law enforcement, determined that canceling the event is the most responsible course of action to prevent any potential risks to attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers,” officials wrote in a Facebook post, citing “recent threats and safety concerns.”
“We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community,” City Manager Bryan Heck added in the post. “However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first.”
The cancellation comes amid a Republican smear campaign against the local immigrant population. Last week, prominent right-wing commentators and politicians — including Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — spread baseless claims that Haitian migrants who had moved to the town over the last several years were killing and eating cats, pets, and other local wildlife. Republicans have said this is evidence of the dangers of undocumented immigration, despite most of Springfield’s Haitian residents holding legal immigration status.
The racist rumor exploded onto the national stage last Tuesday when Trump repeated it during his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump and Vance have continued to double down on the false accusations in the days since. On Sunday, Vance all but admitted the accusations are baseless. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do,” he told CNN.
The conspiracy theories about Haitians in Springfield have fueled a series of threats against local officials and residents. Last week, Springfield’s city hall and several local schools were forced to evacuate after receiving bomb threats. On Friday, Clark State College temporarily closed its Springfield buildings following a warning from the Springfield Police Division.
On Sunday, Wittenberg University canceled all of its scheduled events and moved to online classes after receiving a shooting threat. “Wittenberg University is currently taking extreme precautions following an email sent Saturday, Sept. 14, that threatened a potential shooting on-campus on Sunday, September 15, 2024,” the university wrote in a campus alert. “The message targeted Haitian members of our community.”
NBC News reported that Trump is planning an in-person visit to Springfield. He vowed during a press conference on Friday to carry out mass deportations in the town. “I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio. Large deportations,” Trump said. “We’re going to get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela.”
When asked about Trump’s potential travel plans to his city, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, a Republican, told NBC News that “that could be difficult, a very difficult visit for Springfield.”
“Springfield is a wonderful community,” Rue said. “We need help, not hate.” The mayor added that city staff had spoken to members of Vance’s campaign to push back against the claims being made about the town, but was not aware of any response.
“We need to have federal leaders that are supporting communities like ours, and understand the weight of their words and what they’re saying when they’re on a stage like this — and how it can devastate and hurt communities like ours,” Rue added.
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