On another website I wrote up a story about the arrest of a Haitian woman because witnesses said that she had eaten someone’s pet cat in a public place [link to the story – opens new tab]. It’s the most bizarre arrest that one can imagine. The video below from X tells you more. Please note that this video is embedded in this website and it may disappear one day!
I was sceptical about that story because it seemed so bizarre. Even the worst kind of person wouldn’t do it. Perhaps a drug-crazed person might.
My scepticism appears to have been justified because the day after I read the story, it appears to be part of a campaign on social media to support Trump’s presidential re-election. In this viral social media onslaught, there are claims that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio are killing and eating pet cats and ducks.
The objective is to turn people away from voting for Kamala Harris and to support Donald Trump because he has always expressed his strong views about immigrants and stopping them coming over the border in the south. And so, the argument is that if you want to stop Haitians coming over the border to kill pet cats you’ve got to vote for Trump.
It appears to be a campaign of misleading information, disinformation, which is so common on social media.
Here is a recent YouTube video extract from the Trump/Harris presidential debate in which Trump restates that Haitians are eating dogs and cats but local officials say it is untrue and there appears to be a lack of hard evidence. The general news on 11th Sept 2024 is that the stories are fabricated but it needs further clarification I feel.
The Springfield police are aware of these alleged crimes but it is “not something that is on our radar right now” they said.
It seems they don’t want to be involved because they probably recognise the social media posts as misleading. But the Canton, OH police arrested the above-mentioned woman.
Also, the Springfield city manager says there’s no evidence of any cats or other pets being harmed or eaten by the Haitian immigrants. And there’s been a muddling over the city where it occurred: Spingfield or Canton?
Interestingly, the woman I have referred to who allegedly ate a cat, Allexis Telia Ferrell, was apparently charged with abuse of an animal. Being charged the police have genuine suspicion that she committed a crime. It would appear that the evidence is from witnesses. Perhaps these people are Trump supporters. I don’t know I’m just trying to add 2+2 to make 4 but perhaps I’m making 5!
The initial post about Ferrell came from the far-right influencer, Ian Miles Cheong who posted the video of Ferrell that you see on this page. The caption he wrote said the following, “This woman was arrested for eating someone’s pet cat in Ohio. How does something like this happen?” When another user asked if drugs were likely a factor in the incident, Cheong responded, “Worse. Haitians.”
The Rolling Stone website’s author, Nikki McCann Ramirez, said that this is a “baseless claim” and that it “was spreading like wildfire across social media”.
Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, wrote on X: “Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”
And following on from that, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) posted an image of two kittens with a superimposed caption reading “PLEASE VOTE FOR TRUMP SO HATIAN IMMIGRANTS DON’T EAT US.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee and an Ohio lawmaker, wrote, “When President Trump was in office: 1. The border was secure. 2. Illegal aliens weren’t eating your pets.”
You get the message? This appears to be a campaign, as mentioned, to support Trump. Perhaps a desperate measure because Trump’s team can see Kamala Harris succeeding.
On the issue as to whether the allegation that Haitian migrants are killing and eating pet dogs and cats, Viles Dorsainvil, president of Springfield’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center, told NBC News: “It’s just bigotry, discrimination and racism. There is a group of people who have been fabricating some news just to denigrate Haitians.”
JD Vance has admitted that “It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumours will turn out to be false.”
Although Trump insisted that they were true and as mentioned on this page, the Springfield city manager’s statement that “there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” means that it’s unlikely that the claims are true. And as mentioned also on this page I have hinted before that there appears to be an agenda here based on racism. Although a proper investigation would help.
If it is a malicious and rather vile lie (likely) that Haitians are killing and eating pet cats in Ohio, it is despicable. We need to think of the Haitians living in that part of the world. How do they feel about this? They have become vulnerable to abuse from people who might believe these allegations. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that some people might kill cats in order to further promote this story to bolster Trump’s presidential campaign.
This story might also hurt pet cats. It portrays them as objects that can be abused. It doesn’t take much for a foolish individual to do something stupid such as harm a cat and make further false claims.
Note: I don’t know where the truth lies. My response to the question in the headline would perhaps be: “There is good evidence that these are false claims but further investigations are needed.” But see update below. Although Canton is not Springfield!
Can you help? What do you think?
Update from The Independent:
Police in Springfield were quick to confirm that they had received no reports of pets being stolen, or indeed eaten. The force said it was aware of a viral Facebook post peddling the claims, but added that they were false.
More: Tweet claims a group of Chinese guys are killing cats in food blenders (and microwaves?)
