Springfield, Ohio, City Hall Evacuated, Residents Told to Avoid Area
The city hall of Springfield, Ohio, was closed Thursday morning after a bomb threat was received.
In a statement, a city representative said the threat was contained in an email that was received at about 8:24 a.m., according to WHIO.
The threat prompted an immediate evacuation.
“Our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our employees and residents. We are working to address this situation as swiftly as possible,” the city said in a statement, according to ABC.
“We ask the community to avoid the area surrounding City Hall vicinity while the investigation is ongoing and to report any suspicious activity to the Springfield Police Division,” the statement said.
WHIO reported that a large police presence was seen at City Hall, including police from other communities — including Dayton.
City Hall will be closed for the remainder of the day, WHIO reported.
Fulton Elementary School in Springfield was also closed due to a threat, according to Cleveland.com.
Springfield has been in the midst of a national debate over immigration amid allegations that Haitians in the community have been eating pets. Although city officials have denied that claim, at least one official police report was filed about an incident involving Haitians and geese.
Springfield has a population of between 15,000 and 20,000 Haitains, many of whom came as part of the Temporary Protected Status program that has been expanded under President Joe Biden.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has said his office is looking a way to give communities the power to say no, according to a news release posted on his website.
The release said cities such as Springfield “have been inundated and overwhelmed by surging migrant populations. The sudden and extreme population growth has strained the city’s economic, medical and educational systems.”
“This is absurd — Springfield has swollen by more than a third due to migrants,” Yost said in the release.
As noted by the Federalist, Springfield residents have complained about the conduct of the Haitians.
“These Haitians are running into trash cans. They’re running into buildings. They’re flipping cars in the middle of the street, and I don’t know how, like, y’all can be comfortable with this,” Springfield resident Anthony Harris told city officials last month. “They’re in the park, grabbing up ducks by the neck and cutting their heads off and eating them.”
A resident identified as Noel went on record at an August public hearing, saying that Springfield was “so unsafe” after the inundation of Haitians that she wants “out of this town.”
“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. Look at me, I weigh 95 pounds. I couldn’t defend myself if I had to,” she said, later adding, “Who’s protecting me?”
