Comments by "TruthWarrior" (@Truth-warrior-j3e) on "Where did Donald Trump's outlandish pet-eating claim come from?" video.
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@conz9879 so I ask for evidence and you choose not to provide it. I think anybody with any sense will realise why.
Obviously you will not be referring to the following video since you wouldn’t want to spread fake news, would you? I am talking about the case Snopes has already investigated and found the claim to be false. Specifically Snopes states “Video Footage and News Headlines Don't Document Haitian Immigrant Eating Cat in Springfield, Ohio….
A video of an American citizen has been shared as evidence that Haitians are eating pets. Following remarks made by former U.S. President Donald Trump in his first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris — in which he repeated the unfounded claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were "eating your dogs" and "eating your cats" — several conservative influencers shared purported evidence to support the claim. One of the earliest pieces of alleged support came from an Aug. 16, 2024, incident in which an Ohio woman identified as Alexis Telia Ferrell allegedly killed and ate a pet cat in front of several people:
Authorities later released body camera footage of the incident, which some conservative influencers then used as alleged evidence of the claims against Haitian immigrants, describing or implying that the woman involved in this incident was Haitian: As Snopes previously reported, and other outlets have confirmed, Ferrell is not a Haitian immigrant. According to The Associated Press, she is an American citizen who was born in the United States and who graduated from high school in Canton, Ohio. This event has nothing to do with Springfield, as it occurred in a different town…..
According to court records viewed by Snopes, Ferrell has an extensive criminal record involving numerous arrests, but none of these charges involved any immigration-related violation. In the cat incident, she was booked into jail on suspicion of prohibitions concerning companion animals, cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct, according to news reports. Because Ferrell is not an immigrant, not Haitian and not from Springfield, we have rated the claim as "False." ‘’
So go on, please do share your evidence so that we can see you fully understand the nature and process of critical thinking.
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@conz9879 thanks for the clarification, even if you have now switched it to ducks. Unfortunately it doesn’t actually qualify as evidence. I can see what is happening here. You and others are using a video of a social media influencer who makes a living out of chasing clicks) making claims that are only not only unproven but have actually been debunked. Evidence means it is verified not simply an allegation or anecdote. Once again if you make the effort to cross check with reputable fact checkers such as Snopes then you will find the following (in their own words):
“No Evidence Haitian Immigrants Are Eating Ducks, Geese or Pets in Springfield, Ohio…
In early September 2024, a series of claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, went viral. Most significant among these claims were the assertions that a Haitian immigrant had eaten someone's pet cat, and that others had been seen eating swans and ducks in public parks.
In a Sept. 8, 2024, post on X, GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance repeated the allegation. These claims have been elevated by a series of right-wing influencers including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and Charlie Kirk, and politicians including U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan.
In response to the headlines, the GOP House Judiciary Subcommittee — chaired by Jordan — posted a meme containing an AI-generated image of Trump hugging a duck and a cat on the subcommittee's official X account.
These charges had no basis in fact — they were unsourced internet rumors. Here, Snopes explains the controversy:
Background
Since 2020, Springfield, Ohio, has seen a dramatic rise in immigrants from Haiti. City officials estimate, according to The New York Times, that as many as 20,000 Haitians had arrived in the small town in 2024 since the onset of the pandemic.
Thanks to the availability of jobs, Springfield became a hot spot for Haitian immigrants around that time, according to reporting in NPR. According to The New York Times, the arrival of several manufacturing plants or corporations between 2017 and 2020 created a surplus of jobs. A lack of local labor created a deficit of workers, and word spread among the Haitian community that work could be found in the town, per the Times: ‘Soon there were not enough workers. Many young, working-age people [from Springfield] had descended into addiction. Others shunned entry-level, rote work altogether, employers said. Haitians who heard that the Springfield area boasted well-paying, blue-collar jobs and a low cost of living poured in, and employers were eager to hire and train the new work force.’
In September, when Vance tweeted his meme referencing murdered pets, he shared a video of himself raising the issue of federal funding for Springfield that arose during a May 2024 congressional hearing.
Cats, Ducks and Geese?
As reported by the Springfield News-Sun, the claim that a Haitian immigrant ate a pet cat stems from a rumor posted to a Springfield Facebook group:
A social media post originally from a Springfield Facebook group went viral nationally in recent days. The original poster did not cite first-hand knowledge of an incident. Instead they claimed that their neighbor's daughter's friend had lost her cat and found it hanging from a branch at a Haitian neighbor's home being carved up to be eaten. That Facebook post was shared on several social media platforms, and gained virality when it was shared by the X account End Wokeness on Sep. 6, 2024.
The Facebook post originating the claim presented unverified third-hand Facebook information as fact. Further, it falsely claimed local law enforcement was aware of a problem involving Haitians butchering local pets or waterfowl.
In fact, according to the News-Sun, the Springfield Police Department had not received any reports related either to the killing of a cat or the butchering of ducks and geese at the time of this reporting. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said claims that geese or ducks from parks were being killed and eaten in the town were unsubstantiated.
False Evidence
In defense of the claim that Haitian immigrants were eating cats, some on X shared a video of purported bodycam footage of police arresting a Haitian immigrant in Springfield, Ohio eating a cat. This video does not support claims about Haitians in any way. In reality, the video depicts a real incident involving the arrest of an American citizen (not a Haitian immigrant) in Canton (not Springfield), Ohio. The video concerns an Aug. 16, 2024, incident involving a woman named Alexis Telia Ferrell, who was accused of murdering and eating a cat.
There is no evidence that Ferrell is Haitian, and no reports filed at the time of her arrest mentioned anything about Haiti. According to court records viewed by Snopes, Ferrell has an extensive criminal record involving numerous arrests, but none of these charges involved any immigration-related violation.
Another piece of purported evidence for the claim of widespread Haitian goose-killing in Springfield concerned a single image of a Black man carrying a dead Canada goose.
Like the bodycam footage used as evidence for Haitian cat killing, however, this image does not come from Springfield. The photo can be found in a Reddit thread about Columbus, Ohio, and it was posted at least one month earlier than these viral claims. There is no evidence that this individual had any connection to Haiti.
Further purported evidence comes from far-right or conspiracy influencers providing "on the ground" coverage from Springfield, or from videos of local city council meetings in which alleged residents are seen complaining about the Haitian population. As far as eating animals is concerned, these videos all depict people repeating second-hand information, and are not independent corroboration of those viral claims.
The Bottom Line
There is no evidence, outside of second- and third-hand social media gossip, to support the notion that Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, are eating people's pet cats or their parks' waterfowl. The only alleged evidence in support of the former actually depicts an American in a different city. The alleged evidence of the latter stems from a single picture apparently taken in a different city.
For these reasons, and because Springfield officials deny the validity of such reports, the claim is "Unfounded." ‘’
Of course, since you are clearly an intelligent and analytical person desperate to seek the actual facts you will not be referring to any of these things and your assertion that the ‘guy in red’ was somehow actual evidence was clearly an error. It’s ok, we all make mistakes. So come on, what is the actual evidence you are using as proof? I would love to know so I can add it to my database and assist in explaining the actual facts for people in the future.
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