Eating Ducks? Ohio Residents Speak Out Against Haitians

it is so unsafe I have men that cannot speak English in my front yard screaming at me throwing mattresses in my front yard throwing trash in my front yard and I can't I look at me I weigh 95 lbs I couldn't defend myself if I had to my husband is elderly and last night after living in this home for 45 years he said Noel guess what it's time to pack up and move I understand they're here under temporary protected status and you're protecting them and I understand that our city services are over elmed and underst staffed but who's protecting us if we're protecting them who's protecting me you guys are just sitting up there and S something like I I really challenge you guys to get out here and do something these Haitians are running into trash cans they're running into buildings they're running into they flipping cars in the middle of the street I don't know how like y'all can be comfortable with this like I don't know like who's getting paid from it I feel like I honestly feel like someone's getting paid from it in the background they're in the park grabbing up Ducks by their neck and cutting their head off and walking off with them and and eating them like and it's going to get bigger and it's only going to get worse and y'all sitting up there in these chairs y'all all y'all need to get out here and do something y'all making hundreds of thousand dos y'all need to put on a T-shirt and some Crocs and then y'all need to come out here in these streets and y'all need to go out here and uh I'm out here before the police is like y'all need to do something bro y'all really got to stand on business y'all getting paid all this money like step up like it's it's lame bro like for real have you ever heard about something so wild that makes you do a double take well Springfield Ohio might be a quiet Town most of the time but recently it's been in the news for something that's hard to believe let's break this down together because the story of Haitian immigrants supposedly eating ducks at local parks has stirred up all kinds of emotions and questions you might be wondering why anyone from a tropical island like Haiti would end up in a small town in Ohio it's all about opportunity and safety many Haitians have been fleeing their home country due to several economic hardships political instability and natural disaster ERS in 2020 droves of Haitian migrants arrived in Springfield Ohio legally under the Biden Administration immigration parole program which aimed to fill job vacancies that locals were less inclined to take this influx wasn't just a trickle within a few years about 20,000 Haitians moved in significantly altering the town's demographic to put that in perspective Springfield's population was only about 85,000 in 2020 so this was a huge change these immigrants were not just invisible members of the community they had Social Security numbers job permits they paid taxes and they moved into houses that had been emptied and boarded up in many ways they helped Revitalize the economy that was struggling but it was a rapid change they were growing pains for sure some locals welcomed the diversity in the Boost of the economy While others felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of new residents and the strain placed on local services like healthcare and education and that's when stories started circulating now here's here's where things get uh controversial residents in Springfield have started to report that these new neighbors are catching ducks and supposedly cats from local parks and neighborhoods and cooking them for their next meal you're probably thinking are they really eating Ducks as you saw one Springfield resident claimed at a meeting that Haitians were grabbing Ducks by the neck decapitating them and then walking off with the bird for a meal he described a chaotics of migrants running into trash cans flipping cars and generally causing disruptions in the town but before we jump to conclusions let's consider why this might be happening imagine being dropped into a new country maybe even with little or no money or any understanding of local Customs you're trying to survive you are in survival mode and In some cultures catching and eating wild animals isn't that unusual in fact I'm sure many of them thought it was dare I say the promised land thinking hey in this country the Ducks don't run away from me they haven't learned yet and if your grandma's got a nice good old duck stew and it's the difference between you bringing home food for the family and not well it starts to make a little bit more sense now let me remind you this is Ohio local authorities including police and City officials have investigated these claims and stated that they haven't had any credible reports or even specific claims of pets or local Wildlife being harmed by the Haitian Community or anyone else so are these just rumors spread faster than truth or is there more to the story it's obvious people are upset and local residents have been flooding council meeting meetings demanding action I mean when's the last time you've seen a council meeting that kind of felt like a standoff imagine sitting there hearing the frustration and fears in people's voices but here's the thing city councils are used to dealing with zoning laws Parks Public Safety but not necessarily cultural clashes and immigration so what's their role here are they supposed to educate the newcomers set up signs in multiple languages saying hey please don't eat the ducks or maybe this is something bigger maybe it's a job for I don't know Federal immigration authorities or even Social Services to step in and help the community however the deputy director of Public Safety Jason via expressed frustration over the spread of unverified rumors noting we get these reports the Haitians are killing ducks in a lot of our Parks the Haitians are eating vegetables right out of the aisle of the grocery store and we haven't really seen any of that it's really frustrating as a community it's not helpful as we try to move forward to make matters worse pictures are going viral on the internet right now with Donald Trump holding cats and Ducks as a sign of his caring nature toward WS animals overall it's a tricky situation on one hand you have the Haitian Community filling necessary jobs and contributing to the economy on the other hand the rapid population growth has put pressure on the town's resources causing some residents to feel like they're being pushed out of their own homes for instance one longtime resident tearfully shared how she felt unsafe in her own neighborhood due to language barriers and perceived hostile behaviors prompting her and her husband to leave their home after 45 years so is this situation dangerous the truth is it depends on who you ask for some residents it's not just about the Ducks they're worried about what this means for their Community safety and identity they see this incident as a symbol of a broader issue unpreparedness in handling the influx of new residents are people coming in from other countries being given enough resources and education to successfully adapt to American culture or are they being left to fend for themselves in ways that clash with local expectations take for example the tragic incident involving a school bus crash caused by a Haitian immigrant who veered into the wrong lane resulting in the death of an 11-year-old boy incidents like these amplify local fears and contribute to A Narrative of Discord even if they're just isolated events the city council has been caught in the crossfire of these tensions with some residents demanding stricter control over migrant activities and other calling for compassion and support for integration efforts now it's important to note that authorities including the police have said they they've received no credible reports of pets or other animals being harmed so is this just a case of rumors spreading fast than facts or is there a deeper truth that's been missed the city remains divided with some pushing for more stringent measures against the immigrants While others argue for more structured support to help them assimilate the reality is it's not just Ohio that's dealing with these issues take Denver Colorado for example it's faced its own set of issues with migrants and its complexity with people having vastly different cultures unfortunately with some people com into the US not all of them are good and in fact some gang from Venezuela actually took over an apartment complex in Denver now although this case is extremely rare this is what people are scared of now it's also important to note that some of the best people in America initially came from another country if you look around a sheer amount of our advancements as a society in terms of technology and even economically have arguably come from first generation Americans there are countless examples of people coming into the country and making it a better place but there's always cases like this and quite frankly that's what the residents in Ohio are thinking of it could be difficult for any system to adapt to such rapid change in population and culture so where does this leave us on one hand you've got concerned locals bewildered newcomers and a city council CAU in the middle it's a classic case of miscommunication an unmet expectation and maybe that's the real issue here not just the ducks or the people eating but a failure to bridge a gap between cultures have you ever thought about what it would be like to be in their shoes imagine coming to a place where everything is unfamiliar and the rules are different wouldn't you hope for a little understanding maybe some guidance on how to even fit in deputy director Jason via put it succinctly as a community it's not helpful as we try to move forward moving forward means finding ways to integrate the migrants into the community without alienating long-term residents this might involve language classes cultural orientation programs or even Simply Having more open and honest conversations between the city and its diverse residents this is all about finding common ground because if we don't stories like this will keep popping up if you're interested in more news check out these videos right here I'll see you there