Words, especially in the mouth of leaders and influential people, can cause great harm. People who cause great harm should be held accountable, and those who do not speak out to debunk lies and harmful language are also complicit in the harm.

Over this past week, Springfield, Ohio has been in the news, and not in a good way. Just one person starting a rumor and then supposed leaders latching onto a false narrative specifically to demonize a group of fellow human beings caused irreparable harm to a community.

How did this sad story unfold? It started by one person posting on social media that “illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating people’s pets” in Springfield, Ohio. Springfield is a city of about 60,000 people near Dayton, Ohio with around 20,000 Haitian immigrants settled legally settled through an amnesty program.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice-presidential candidate JD Vance then propagated this unsubstantiated rumor as fact, and Trump even spoke about this during the September 10th presidential debate with Kamala Harris. He stated, “”In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in (illegal Haitian immigrants),” Trump said. “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. This is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

So what was the result of Trump’s words?
• Two days in a row, city offices and schools were closed due to bomb threats
• Haitians in Springfield are facing physical threats and hateful rhetoric
• A small city is trust into national news causing disruption to daily life.

All Springfield public officials have spoken out and clarified that these pet eating allegations are false. Two of the people who took photos and started the rumor are now seeing the huge negative ramifications of their actions and expressing remorse. And yes, several years ago a woman was arrested for cooking a cat, but she was an American and it was in a different Ohio city.

Do read the newspaper story from the Columbus Dispatch as well as listen to this video that includes the words of Springfield mayor Jeffrey Mims.

My concluding key messages:
• Inflammatory words and falsehoods can cause great harm, especially when amplified by people in leadership or powerful positions.
• It is the responsibility of everyone to debunk hateful and untrue language, and do what we can to mitigate the harm and support those in the crossfire.
• Standing by and doing nothing makes us complicit in the hate and partially responsible for the damage it causes.
• And even worse, supporting those who spout hateful and untrue lies by voting for them or excusing their actions is directly contributing to the negative impacts.

Let us all unite and commit to never supporting those who harm others with their words, and that includes at the ballot box.