SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — It was meant to be an event to help heal the community. Instead, Haitian residents and advocates were confronted by a small group of frustrated Springfield residents and at least one right-wing provocateur Saturday evening outside the local Haitian Community Help & Support Center. They questioned why so many immigrants had moved into Springfield “illegally,” a claim that city officials have repeatedly said is not true. Haitian residents and people who had gathered to support them deescalated the confrontation shortly before police arrived. Thrust into the national spotlight by baseless — and to many, racist — rumors of Haitian residents killing and eating wildlife and pets, its economic comeback has been dramatically overshadowed by tensions that once rarely reached beyond city council meetings.

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Persons: ”, “ It’s, ” Colin Barclay, they’re, Rob Rue, it’s Organizations: Springfield, Support, City, Wittenberg University Locations: SPRINGFIELD , Ohio, Springfield