Group of Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, files civil suit against Trump and Vance

The leader of a nonprofit representing the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, filed a criminal charge Tuesday against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, over the chaos and threats that have occurred in the city since Trump first spread false claims about unauthorized immigrants there during the presidential debate.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance invoked its private law to file the charges after local prosecutors failed to act, said its attorney, Subodh Chandra of the Cleveland-based Chandra Law Firm.

Trump and Vance, a senator from Ohio, were charged with disruption of public services, issuing false alarms, harassment by telecommunications, aggravated threats and aiding and abetting.

The lawsuit asks the Clark County Municipal Court to find probable cause and either subject the case to further investigation or issue arrest warrants for Trump and Vance.

“It is their persistence and their obstinacy, even when the governor and the mayor said it was false, that shows their intent,” Chandra said. “It is a conscious and willful disregard for criminal law.”

As of Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance campaign had not responded to a request for comment.

More than 30 bomb threats were received at state and local government buildings and schools, prompting lockdowns, the assignment of additional law enforcement protection and the installation of security cameras.

Some of the city’s Haitian residents also say they feared for their safety as public antipathy grew and Mayor Rob Rue received death threats.

“If Trump and Vance hadn’t been the ones who did what they did — unleashing chaos in Springfield, resulting in bomb threats, evacuations of government buildings and schools, threats to the mayor and his family — those people would be arrested right now,” Chandra said.

“So, really, the only question is whether the court and the prosecution will treat Trump and Vance the way they would treat anyone. They are not above the law.”

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