Springfield sues neo-Nazi group over rhetoric about Haitians during 2024 election

The city of Springfield, Ohio, which faced a wave of threats last year following false accusations that Haitian migrants living in the town were "eating pets" of U.S. citizens, filed a lawsuit Thursday against a new-Nazi group that it alleges tormented the community.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and others filed the lawsuit against a group called the "Blood Tribe," naming its leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz along with several unnamed followers. The case was filed in a U.S. District Court in Dayton.

“The Blood Tribe and its members and associates unleashed a torrent of hateful conduct, including acts of harassment, bomb threats, and death threats, against Springfield residents who spoke out in support of the Haitian community," says the complaint.

President Trump honed worldwide attention on the city during a presidential debate with Democratic rival Kamala Harris in September last year, when he repeated false claims that Springfield’s Haitians were abducting and eating people’s cats and dogs.

The plaintiffs said the Blood Tribe showed up at the city’s jazz and blues festival in August, where it displayed guns, waved swastika flags and wore matching red shirts, black pants and ski masks.

Members of the groups then allegedly made their way to City Hall, where Berentz issued a “racist and antisemitic rant,” and followers responded with chants of “Seig Heil” and Nazi salutes, the court filing states.

The city authorities further alleged in the lawsuit that the group engaged in and incited "a campaign of harassment and intimidation, motivated by ethnic and racial hatred, against those who supported Springfield’s Haitian community in the face of Defendants’ racist attacks.”

The complainants have demanded the group be stopped from issuing further threats, requesting the court for a jury trial. The Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit focused on combating antisemitism, provided legal help to the plaintiffs.

Springfield has a population of around 60,000. Amid Haitians seeking refuge from violence in their homeland, the town recently witnessed an increase in its Haitian community, which now numbers about 10,000 individuals.

This led to tensions within the community, as essential services such as schools, roads, hospitals, and social programs have become strained. The situation intensified following an accident in 2023 when a Haitian immigrant driver collided with a school bus, resulting in a child's death

The city's lawsuit accused the Blood Tribe of coordinated a “hit” against the city. It added that in July, the group presented the influx of Haitians as an “invasion” that was threatening Springfield’s “good White residents.”

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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