Social media users are sharing months-old footage of a Springfield, Ohio, city commission meeting to make a number of claims about the city manager and an ABC News report amid controversy over baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in the area are eating pets.
On September 9, ABC News published an article highlighting GOP vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance’s false claims about the alleged pet eating that included a statement from Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck. “We wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Heck’s statement read.
On X, Instagram, and Threads, users are sharing video from a March 12 city commission meeting to draw a distinction between what Heck said that night—that there was “no proof” pets were being eaten—and what he said in his statement to ABC News. The claims are misleading.
“Here’s the Springfield, OH city manager in March admitting he too has heard stories about Haitians eating ‘domesticated animals,’” right-wing activist Charlie Kirk posted on Threads.
“Amuse,” a conservative account with more than 400,000 followers, tweeted: “ABC News falsely claimed the Springfield City Manager refuted Trump’s debate statement. They lied. He admits that there were complaints in March of Haitians eating pets.”
The popular X account “End Wokeness” also shared the video to its 3 million followers. “Springfield City Manager back in March: I have heard residents complaining about Haitians eating the town animals,” the account claimed. Other posts shared on X with similar claims have also garnered more than 1 million views each.
“ABC LIED. The Springfield City Manager admits illegal Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio,” a user with the name “Rightonnews” shared on Instagram.
The claim from “Rightonnews” that Heck admitted immigrants were eating pets is false. The other claims incorrectly imply that a contradiction exists between Heck’s statements and also attribute to Heck a comment made by Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, who said, “I’ve heard about it too.”
In the viral city commission meeting video clip from March 12, Springfield resident Mark Sanders was talking about the Haitian migrant influx to the city and claimed to have heard stories of pets being abused.
“One of the things that I heard that bothered me very much—I’ve actually had quite a few people contact me here lately—is some pretty horrid things happening to domesticated animals in the neighborhood,” Sanders said. “We’ve had stuff in the park.”
“You shake your head, Bryan,” Sanders added, referencing Heck.
“You asked me if there was proof, there is no proof,” Heck replied to Sanders.
Sanders then explained that he could not share any specific reports of such incidents because the people who had told him about them requested anonymity. In response, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue explained that the city had not received any credible reports. “I mean, we haven’t seen the proof … and I’ve heard about it too,” he said.
A Dispatch Fact Check published September 10 noted the city’s statement dispelling rumors that migrants were abusing pets.
Later on September 10, The Federalist published an article saying that a police report had been filed in which a caller claimed to see four Haitians carrying geese along a bike trail. The report was referred to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), a state government agency that found no evidence of the caller’s claims.
“No videos have surfaced, no pictures have surfaced, no dead geese have surfaced,” Clark County Commissioner Sasha Rittenhouse said of the ODNR’s findings at a September 11 meeting, per the Springfield News-Sun. “There’s nothing to substantiate that it’s happening.”
To summarize: In the March meeting, Heck said there was “no proof” of pets being eaten. His September statement that “there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused” is not at odds with that, so it’s incorrect to say that he or ABC News “lied.”
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