The small city of Springfield, Ohio, found itself at the center of a national controversy fueled by a viral Facebook post alleging Haitian immigrants were eating local pets. This unfounded claim, amplified across social media and even reaching the presidential debate stage, originated from a local resident, Erika Lee, who now expresses deep regret for the ensuing chaos and fear.
Lee, a Springfield resident, explained to NBC News on Friday that her Facebook post about a missing neighbor’s cat spiraled out of control, becoming the spark for a widespread and damaging rumor. She recounted how a neighbor, Kimberly Newton, confided in her, suggesting her cat might have been preyed upon by Haitian neighbors.
Newsguard, a media watchdog organization dedicated to tracking online misinformation, identified Lee as one of the initial sources of the rumor on social media. Screenshots of her post quickly circulated online, contributing to the escalating panic. Newton, in her statement to Newsguard, clarified that Lee’s Facebook post misrepresented her account. Newton stated she heard the story from an acquaintance of a friend, not a direct neighbor as implied in the post. Efforts to reach Newton for direct comment were unsuccessful.
Lee admitted she was unprepared for her post to ignite a rumor mill that rapidly gained national attention. She has since removed the original Facebook post, but the damage was already done.
The false narrative was further amplified by unrelated online content. A photograph of a man holding a dead goose, taken in Columbus, Ohio, was falsely presented as evidence of the Springfield pet-eating claims. Similarly, a disturbing video depicting a woman allegedly killing and attempting to eat a cat, which actually originated in Canton, Ohio, and had no connection to the Haitian community, was also falsely linked to the Springfield rumors.
Despite repeated denials and clarifications from local Springfield police and city officials confirming the complete absence of any evidence supporting these allegations, the rumors persisted. The falsehoods spread across the nation, culminating in the baseless claims being referenced during a presidential debate. Former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance, who has local ties to Springfield, both publicly repeated the unfounded allegations, lending further credence to the harmful misinformation.
Lee emphasized that she never intended for her post to become fuel for conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric. “I’m not a racist,” she stated, visibly emotional, highlighting her own mixed-race heritage, her daughter being half-Black, and her affiliation with the LGBTQ community. “Everybody seems to be turning it into that, and that was not my intent.”
The anti-immigrant sentiment inflamed by the rumors led to significant disruptions in Springfield, including the closure of schools and municipal buildings on Thursday and Friday following bomb threats directed at city officials.
Lee expressed her fear for her family’s safety, having removed her daughter from school due to the intense public attention. She also voiced concern for the safety of the Haitian community in Springfield, stating she never intended to demonize them collectively. “I feel for the Haitian community,” she said. “If I was in the Haitians’ position, I’d be terrified, too, worried that somebody’s going to come after me because they think I’m hurting something that they love and that, again, that’s not what I was trying to do.”
Immigrant advocacy groups have condemned the dangerous nature of such baseless claims. Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an organization advocating for immigration reform, stated, “The Haitian-American community in Springfield, OH and around the country is feeling targeted and unsafe because dehumanizing, debunked and racist conspiracies are being advanced at the highest levels of American politics and are still being repeated.” She further emphasized the historical context of such accusations, “The false claim that Black immigrants are violently attacking American families by stealing and eating their pets is a powerful and old racist trope that puts a target on people’s backs, and it is turbo-charged in the era of MAGA when political violence has become commonplace and we have already witnessed violent incidents incited by such rhetoric.”
Lee acknowledged the real challenges Springfield faces due to a rapid population increase, which has strained the city’s resources in housing, healthcare, and social services. The influx of Haitian immigrants, many with protected legal status, caught the city somewhat unprepared.
Despite these existing local challenges, Lee reiterated her shock that her Facebook post triggered a national news cycle. “I didn’t think it would ever get past Springfield,” she concluded, lamenting the unintended consequences of misinformation and the speed at which rumors can escalate in the digital age.
