TallGuyJohninBKK

The local authorities there investigated two claims of geese/duck being taken from local parks during the past year, and could find no actual evidence to substantiated the claims. Plus, Trump started out talking about immigrants eating dogs and cats, not geese....Trump only got onto the geese claim after his dog and cat nonsense was shown to be rubbish.... So now he's ranting on, publicly flailing about another unsubstantiated claim. Are Haitian migrants stealing geese in Springfield parks? Here’s what we know Sept. 14, 2024 ... “No videos have surfaced, no pictures have surfaced, no dead geese have surfaced; there’s nothing to substantiate that it’s happening,” Clark County Commissioner Sasha Rittenhouse said Wednesday. At an Aug. 27 Springfield City Commission meeting, a man told commissioners that Haitians were taking ducks out of the park, but did not offer any evidence." https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/are-haitian-migrants-stealing-geese-in-springfield-parks-heres-what-we-know/VVEXS7XEDBEEXNVKBRPAQXRBJA/ The man at the city commission meeting just happens to be a self-described social media influencer who's running around wearing a sweatshirt saying he plans to run for mayor of the city next year. Meanwhile, this local TV news report:

Except no one in authority in Aurora is claiming there are NO gang members there.... They're just rejecting Trump's nonsense, overblown exaggerations, and his falsely trying to blame all the city's gang problems on Venezuelan immigrants, and ignoring all the home-grown types.

They're flatly rejecting the following Trump public statements as reported by AP above: "At Wednesday night’s town hall, he repeated his call for mass deportations after overstating the gang situation in Aurora. “Take a look at Aurora in Colorado, where Venezuelans are taking over the whole town, they’re taking over buildings, the whole town,” Trump said. [emphasis added] As the same AP report posted above recounted: "Many of the immigrants from Venezuela and other Latin American countries who live in the Aurora complex say there are no gangs there, and they are being unfairly painted as criminals. They pinned blame on New York-based CBZ Management for refusing to take care of bedbugs, rodents and constant water leaks despite monthly rent costing $1,200 or more.... “The only criminal here is the owner of the building,” Moises Didenot, who is from Venezuela, said Tuesday through a translator at a news conference in a dusty courtyard at the complex." Are there gang members in Aurora? Sure, just like in virtually any city in the United States. Are the gang members in Aurora, including a very few from Venezuela, "taking over" the city, as Trump contents. All the local officials there are flatly saying NO.

Here's the charts from the latest UKHSA weekly COVID update for England as of Sept. 12: My text summary - New weekly COVID deaths reported at 102 (down 21% for the week ending Aug. 30) fell to their lowest level since late May, signaling the apparent end to the spring-summer COVID surge in England. Among two other publicly reported indicators, weekly COVID cases (not an especially reliable indicator due to sparse testing) increased 4.3% for the week ending Sept. 4. And the positivity rate for COVID testing (7-day rolling average) halted recent declines to 9% and ticked slightly back upward to 10% as of Aug. 31. But a new update on weekly COVID hospital admissions showed 1,465 people admitted through Aug. 29, a decline of 6.6% over the prior data. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths Weekly COVID deaths from the recent low in May: Weekly data for deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate in England Up to and including 30 August 2024 (some recent prior week figures have been revised vs prior weekly reports): Date -- Amount 30 Aug 2024 -- 102 23 Aug 2024 -- 129 16 Aug 2024 -- 167 9 Aug 2024 -- 203 2 Aug 2024 -- 203 26 Jul 2024 -- 182 19 Jul 2024 -- 217 12 Jul 2024 -- 205 5 Jul 2024 -- 165 28 Jun 2024 -- 186 21 Jun 2024 -- 149 14 Jun 2024 -- 158 7 Jun 2024 -- 146 31 May 2024 -- 113 24 May 2024 -- 147 17 May 2024 -- 168 10 May 2024 -- 93 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#healthcare https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#cases https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#testing

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Sept. 8 - 14, 2024: For the week: --302 new COVID hospitalizations (red) --2 new COVID death (gray) --181 COVID patients currently hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia type symptoms) (dark purple) --73 COVID patients currently hospitalized requiring ventilation/intubation in order to breathe (light purple) https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

Ohio's Republican governor denouncing Trump's "garbage." Gov. DeWine shoots down rumor of Springfield migrants, calls it false 'piece of garbage' Sept. 15, 2024 Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday denounced claims promoted by former President Donald Trump that Haitian immigrants are eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio, calling them "hurtful" and "not helpful." "There's a lot of garbage on the internet and this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true, there's no evidence of this at all," DeWine told ABC's "This Week." "These are positive influences on our community in Springfield and any comment about that otherwise I think is hurtful and is not helpful to the city of Springfield and the people of Springfield." DeWine noted that there is no evidence of the claims spread by Trump, his running mate and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and others, adding that the mayor of Springfield and the city's police chief have both said there is no evidence of any truth to them. (more) https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2024/09/15/ohio-gov-mike-dewine-denounces-rumors-of-springfield-pets-being-eaten/75237552007/

Aurora mayor wants to set the record straight about gang activity after Colorado city receives debate mention September 12, 2024 One day after former President Donald Trump said gangs from Venezuela had taken over Aurora in his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman says it's time to be clear about exactly what is happening in the city he serves. "It's grossly exaggerated, in terms of what the current situation is- and very disappointing," said Coffman. "The impression is that the city was overrun, you know, by criminal gangs. By immigrants, and Venezuelan gangs. And certainly, that is not the case." On Wednesday the mayor, police, city council and city manager released a joint statement saying that the criminal gangs from Venezuela have not "taken over" the city. They say the gang's presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, and that they have been addressing the problem for months. (more) https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/aurora-mayor-gang-activity-colorado-city-debate-mention/

More social media garbage exaggerations being advanced by Trump and related parties: Police deny Venezuela gang has taken over rundown apartment complex in Denver suburb September 6, 2024 "AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora say a Venezuela street gang with a small presence in the city has not taken over a rundown apartment complex — yet the allegation continues to gain steam among conservatives and was amplified by former President Donald Trump in a Wednesday Fox News town hall where he said Venezuelans were “taking over the whole town.” The unsubstantiated allegation gained momentum following last month’s dissemination of video from a resident in the complex that showed armed men knocking on an apartment door, intensifying fears the Tren de Aragua gang was in control of the six-building complex. ... Aurora is a diverse city that has long grappled with crime and gangs, and police said they have so far linked 10 people to Tren de Aragua and arrested six of them, including the suspects in a July attempted homicide. But in a visit to the apartments where the armed men were filmed, interim Aurora police chief Heather Morris said gang members had not taken over and weren’t collecting rent.... (more) https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-immigrants-aurora-colorado-police-37acd4e064347d51808cb244117ac21e

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Sept. 1 - 7, 2024: For the week: --314 new COVID hospitalizations (red) --1 new COVID death (gray) --170 COVID patients currently hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia type symptoms) (dark purple) --70 COVID patients currently hospitalized requiring ventilation/intubation in order to breathe (light purple) https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

And NONE of those claims made by Trump or reported-posted elsewhere have thus far been shown to be true or verified-substantiated, regarding the notion of Haitians in Springfield harming pets or other animals. Regarding Haitians in Springfield, It's simply a bunch of unproven, unsubstantiated claims that had already been investigated to completion locally before they were resurrected by Trump's presidential debate claims and continuing similar claims in the wake of the debate. And that includes the animal claims made by the white nationalist neo-Nazi group that has been organizing and demonstrating in Springfield against Haitians, as per the topic of this thread. Editorial today from the local Springfield News-Sun newspaper: OUR VIEW: Viral misinformation about immigrants in our community will lead to violence. Only you can stop it. ... "We are deeply concerned for the safety of Springfield residents, including the estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants now living here legally. ... We repeat: There is no evidence to substantiate the hateful, racist accusations that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are doing anything to people’s pets. [emphasis added] ... Responsible leadership requires following the facts. It is incredibly irresponsible – and dangerous – for candidates and elected officials to traffic in unsubstantiated rumors in order to advance a political agenda." https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/ideas-voices/our-view-viral-misinformation-about-immigrants-in-our-community-will-lead-to-violence-only-you-can-stop-it/KRPF263KFVARVHAHGKXQUYXJ2A/

'It just exploded': Springfield woman claims she never meant to spark false rumors about Haitians The woman behind an early Facebook post that helped spark baseless rumors about Haitians eating pets told NBC News that she feels for the immigrant community. Sept. 14, 2024 SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The woman behind an early Facebook post spreading a harmful and baseless claim about Haitian immigrants eating local pets that helped thrust a small Ohio city into the national spotlight says she had no firsthand knowledge of any such incident and is now filled with regret and fear as a result of the ensuing fallout. ... Lee recently posted on Facebook about a neighbor’s cat that went missing, adding that the neighbor told Lee she thought the cat was the victim of an attack by her Haitian neighbors. Newsguard, a media watchdog that monitors for misinformation online, found that Lee had been among the first people to publish a post to social media about the rumor, screenshots of which circulated online. The neighbor, Kimberly Newton, said she heard about the attack from a third party, NewsGuard reported. Newton told Newsguard that Lee’s Facebook post misstated her story, and that the owner of the missing cat was “an acquaintance of a friend” rather than her daughter’s friend. Newton could not be reached for comment. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/-just-exploded-springfield-woman-says-never-meant-spark-rumors-haitian-rcna171099

A good overview from CNN on all the various issues on the table in Springfield: CNN visits town where Trump falsely claimed migrants are eating pets. Here's what we found

REUTERS -- Haitian Americans said they fear for their safety after Donald Trump repeated a false and derogatory claim during this week's presidential debate about immigrants in Ohio. -- Sep 13, 2024

Over the past few days, I've read what feels like a million different news reports on Springfield from local and national news media. What local officials there at the city and county level say they're NOT concerned about: --unproven and unsubstantiated or mostly just plain debunked claims that Haitian immigrants there have been harming and/or eating animals, since they say they have no credible, substantiated evidence of that occurring. What local officials there at the city and county level say they're ARE concerned about and seeking assistance with: --increases in road traffic crashes and dangerous driving due to local Haitian immigrants who aren't familiar enough with U.S. driving rules and signage, in part because state law there allows people to obtain licenses relatively easily. --substantially increased burdens on city and county agencies including public schools and health facilities for translator services, since a portion of the more recently arrived Haitian immigrant community there still cannot readily communicate in English. --complaints from local native residents that when they need to visit various government offices such as Social Security and others, that the lines are very long because so many Haitian residents who've arrived in recent years are now also also using those offices.

Trump’s racist lies about Haitians in Springfield are putting people’s lives in danger Trump and Vance’s false claims — which they have publicly admitted they have no proof of — are having real consequences on the Ohio community. Sept. 14, 2024 Springfield, Ohio, was abruptly thrust onto the national stage this week as Donald Trump and his allies zeroed in on the city’s Haitian population, peddling racist conspiracy theories about it. As a result, Haitian residents say they’re facing a barrage of harassment and threats, leaving them fearing for their safety. Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, elevated a lie about Haitians in Springfield eating pets, a thoroughly debunked claim that the Republican presidential nominee promoted Tuesday on the presidential debate stage to millions of viewers. (The claim was fostered in part by a neo-Nazi group that has waged a hate campaign against the community for months, NBC News reported.) [emphasis added per this thread] Several other Republicans have amplified those lies, including Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Vance has also claimed that Haitians are causing a rise in communicable diseases in the city, which, as NBC News reported, is an assertion that’s been disputed by Chris Cook, the Clark County Combined Health District commissioner. (more) https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-haitians-springfield-ohio-lies-danger-rcna171036

Bomb threats rattle Springfield for 2nd day as Ohio city finds itself at center of latest Trump controversy The former president keeps pushing the baseless claim that pets are being eaten, and the community is feeling the effects. Former President Donald Trump continues to push the baseless claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been stealing pets and eating them. And the city has been feeling the effects this week. On Thursday, multiple city, county and school buildings were closed following a bomb threat. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said the emailed threat mentioned “frustration with the city related to Haitian immigration issues.” The FBI is working with local police to help identify the source of the threat, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott told reporters. On Friday, two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school was closed in the wake of the threat. It was not immediately clear whether Friday's evacuations and closing were due to a new threat or linked to the previous missive. (more) https://www.yahoo.com/news/bomb-threats-rattle-springfield-for-2nd-day-as-ohio-city-finds-itself-at-center-of-latest-trump-controversy-193300655.html

Trump vows mass deportations from town rocked by 'pet-eating' lies Sept. 14, 2024 Donald Trump has said he will mass deport migrants in a small Ohio town that has been rocked by baseless claims that its Haitian influx are eating pets and park animals. "We're going to start with Springfield," Trump said on Friday, adding the town had been "destroyed" by immigration. He mentioned a second city in Colorado, which right-wing commentators have falsely claimed is in the hands of a Venezuelan gang. Springfield officials say that the debunked claim of pet-eating has sent shockwaves through its community, and has led to violent threats that have shut schools. (more) https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3wp6q132p2o

Comments from the CEO of a Springfield manufacturing company praising Haitian immigrant workers and explaining how they provided his company with a workforce that they couldn't get from native workers there. And after that, broader background on the Haitian immigrant issues in Springfield from PBS.

“It has to stop”: Biden condemns attacks on Haitian-Americans after bomb threats in Springfield and follow-up comments by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who is a Haitian American: Per the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden lashed out Friday at Republican nominee Donald Trump for spreading false smears against Haitian immigrants in an Ohio city, as Trump dismissed threats against the community and promised deportations. “I want to take a moment to say something [about the] Haitian American community that’s under attack in our country right now,” Biden said during a White House event celebrating Black excellence. “It’s simply wrong. There’s no place in America. This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop!” ... White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also criticized Trump on Friday, referencing her heritage as a Haitian American. Speaking as “the first Black, openly queer White House press secretary and, I’ve got to add, a proud Haitian American,” Jean-Pierre said of Biden: “I can tell you, representation matters to him. Our voices matter to him, our perspectives matter to him and our success and our community matters to him.” https://archive.ph/bHvK3 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/13/biden-trump-haitian-immigrants/

Trump is Picking up Haitian Migrants Disinformation from Neo-Nazis: Pastor Sep 13, 2024 A pastor whose church has links with Springfield, Ohio, has told Newsweek that he believes Donald Trump and JD Vance have been listening to neo-Nazis and nationalists for their information on Haitian migrants. Ben Marsh, who leads First Alliance Church in Winston, North Carolina, said Friday that Christians needed to speak out about the things being said about their Haitian family members: claims that they have been eating and stealing pets. ... "My understanding is he's picking up on this information that began on online forums among neo-Nazis that gets filtered through a nationalist, conservative information channel to his vice presidential candidate, JD Vance," Marsh told Newsweek. (more) https://www.newsweek.com/trump-haitian-immigrants-springfield-ohio-disinformation-neo-nazis-1953643

A self-avowed member of the U.S. neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe delivers an anti-Haitian immigrants rant to the Springfield City Commission on August 27, two weeks before the presidential candidates debate where Donald Trump made anti-Haitian rhetoric national news. A hard-core U.S. neo-Nazi group called Blood Tribe was actively organizing in Springfield, Ohio and promoting anti-Haitian immigrant and unsubstantiated animal eating claims in the weeks before GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance made national news by publicly promoting similar kinds of claims, according to news reports. Several news agencies have already documented the Blood Tribe group's August 10 march in downtown Springfield in which about a dozen masked members carrying banners with swastikas held what they dubbed an "anti-Haitian Immigration march." Then on August 27, two weeks before the U.S. presidential candidates debate where Trump publicly made the animal eating claims, a member of the Blood Tribe group who acknowledged leading that march told city commissioners during their public meeting that "crime and savagery will only increase with every Haitian you bring in." He did not, though, on that day mention animal killing or eating in his public remarks. However on Friday, NBC News expanded on that reporting, adding that the national Blood Tribe group began posting the anti-Haitian immigration and supposed animal eating claims relating to Springfield via several of its social media channels in August. And then in early September according to NBC News, about a week before the September 10 candidates debate, the group did another post "with multiple racial epithets" claiming Haitians "eat the ducks out of the city parks." There's no indication in the NBC News report or elsewhere that there was any direct contact between the Blood Tribe group and the Trump-Vance campaign. Rather, the NBC News report says "a few days" after the neo-Nazi group's early September post, a separate but popular right-wing social media account posted similar but broader claims that Haitians had killed and eaten a cat [a real case later proven unrelated to Springfield or Haitians], that "ducks and pets are disappearing," and including a photo of a man carrying a goose that also was later proven as unrelated to Springfield. According to NBC, that post with its subsequently debunked claims has been viewed millions of times, saying "from there, the rumors snowballed." During the debate, Trump made the following remarks: The day after Trump's unproven debate claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield and supposed animal eating, the NBC News report says the national head of the Blood Tribe group, identified as Christopher Pohlhaus, posted to one of his social media accounts taking credit for the debacle, saying Blood Tribe had "pushed Springfield into the public consciousness." According to the NBC News report, a member of the hate group agreed, posting in response "The president is talking about it now... This is what real power looks like." The NBC News report notes: "Trump's line at the debate was the culmination of a weekslong rumor mill that appears to have at least been amplified by Blood Tribe... As with most rumors, the beginning of the baseless claims about Haitians eating pets in Springfield is hard to pinpoint, but Blood Tribe undoubtedly helped spread it." Just how early the neo-Nazi group began organizing in Springfield has not been made clear in news reports, though NBC News said online rumors locally in Springfield began as early as late June. According to the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, Blood Tribe is a growing neo-Nazi group that claims to have chapters across the United States and Canada. The center says, "In 2023, Blood Tribe has several dozen members and thousands of online followers." The center's profile of the group adds: "Blood Tribe presents itself as a hardcore white supremacist group and rejects white supremacists who call for softer “optics.” Blood Tribe members emphasize hyper-masculinity; the group does not allow female members. Blood Tribe sees themselves as both the last remaining bulwark against enemies of the white race and the only path to a white ethnostate." Apart from the group's recent anti Haitian immigrant activity in Springfield, the Center on Extremism's profile says Blood Tribe was active in 2023 counter-protesting against LGBTQ+ events with group members carrying rifles and swastika flags. During 2023, the group held public protests in at least seven U.S. cities including Madison, Hudson, and Watertown, Wisconsin; Toledo, Columbus, and Wadsworth, Ohio; and Altamonte, Florida, according to the center. By 2024, according to NBC News, the group had shifted its public actions to an anti-immigrant focus, thus far protesting in Springfield and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Nashville, Tennessee, and Pierre, South Dakota. The group's late August appearance at the Springfield City Commission meeting and its prior march in the city have been reported separately by the Internet culture news site Daily Dot, and the Haitian Times news site. The Daily Dot's Sept. 11 report is titled, "How a neo-Nazi helped kickstart the right-wing anti-Haitian migrant panic." In that report, the Daily Dot talks of the Blood Tribe member who warned the Springfield City Commission, calling him "self-identified as a member of Blood Tribe—the neo-Nazi group that helped lead a white nationalist march in downtown Nashville in early 2024 in which members spewed antisemitic and racist chants—and gave his name as “Nathaniel Higgers,” a coded pseudonym derivative of of a racial slur. The Blood Tribe member's public appearance was recorded on a publc Youtube video of the city commission meeting, and in a resulting X (Twitter) social media post. The news site Haitian Times has a separate Aug. 30 report titled: "White supremacist’s “warning” against Haitians in Ohio triggers fear and calls for action." That report begins with an Editor's Note update that says: "An earlier version of this story erroneously referred to the white supremacist group leader as Nathaniel Higgers, the name he provided at the meeting. Since publication, several sources have revealed that the speaker’s real name is Drake R. Berentz. They said the false name is a derivative of Nate Higgers, a racial slur." The Haitian Times report describes the group's Springfield march, saying: "During the Jazz and Blues Fest on Aug. 10, Blood Tribe members wore black pants, red jackets and black ski masks. The group brandished white supremacist paraphernalia, including a black flag emblazoned with a white swastika. Some Haitians said the group also shouted, ‘If you’re Black, go back to Africa’ during their demonstration." Full weblinks for all the above-cited news sources: NBC News: Before Trump, neo-Nazis pushed false claims about Haitians as part of hate campaign An extremist group that marched in Springfield, Ohio, and demonized Haitian immigrants saw Trump's mention of baseless rumors at the debate as a victory: “This is what real power looks like.” https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/trump-neo-nazis-pushed-false-claims-haitians-part-hate-campaign-rcna170796 Daily Dot: How a neo-Nazi helped kickstart the right-wing anti-Haitian migrant panic Rhetoric ‘ripped from the Nazi playbook.’ https://www.dailydot.com/debug/haitian-migrants-springfield-neo-nazi/ Haitian Times White supremacist’s “warning” against Haitians in Ohio triggers fear and calls for action Influx of Haitians has triggered anti-immigrant backlash and some support as state’s social and political landscape is reshaped https://haitiantimes.com/2024/08/30/springfield-ohio-haitian-immigrants-racism/ Anti Defamation League's Center on Extremism Backgrounder Blood Tribe https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/blood-tribe Springfield City Commission Meeting (Blood Tribe member's comments) ABC News debate transcript: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/harris-trump-presidential-debate-transcript/story?id=113560542 --end--

The "citizens with boots on the ground", as you call them, are responding to a bunch of debunked social media reports and imagery, many widely spread on right-wing accounts as the ABC report (among others) recounts below, that purported to involve Springfield but in fact have not been shown to have any or any substantiated connection to Haitians in Springfield...including: --the actual case of a non-Haitian, American-born woman elsewhere in Ohio who is being prosecuted for killing and attempting to eat a cat, which social media reports then falsely linked to Springfield and Haitians. --a real photo of a man carrying a bird that has been shown to have been taken far away at a different Ohio city (Columbus) many weeks ago, and the person who took the photo has told news agencies that he has no idea who the man was carrying the bird and had no indication the man was Haitian. That photo likewise was falsely linked in social media to Springfield. ...and a Facebook post about a supposed dead cat found in Springfield that was something like a third-hand hearsay report, and likewise, never substantiated as either true or having anything to do with Haitians.

No. As has been posted in multiple news reports earlier in this thread, it's the Republican governor of Ohio, Springfield city officials and county officials there who all have said that thus far, they have no credible evidence or substantiated reports that support the animal claims that have been made by Trump and Vance. What there has been is a lot of spurious social media reports that, when tracked down and documented, have been shown to NOT have any connection to Haitians in Springfield. And, one citizens call that went to the county sheriff's communications center there claiming ducks were being taken from a park likewise was investigated and has remained unsubstantiated. That's a recap of the credible news reports that have been posted here, and what state, county and city officials there continue to report up through today.