Springfield and Clark County officials finally addressing the increase of Haitian migrants in Springfield we've been pressing the city for comment for days now after months of social media posts slandering the Haitian Community there we tell our kids not to bully one another and I hear adults in our community saying the most hateful things many rumors have been floating around some exaggerating the number of Haitian immigrants in Springfield up to 20,000 Mayor Rob Rue debunked that today we have realistically been saying 12 to 15,000 immigrants is what we've uh what we have counted through the health department and other agencies some rumors even saying Haitian residents in Springfield are abusing animals and eating them we heard from both sides of those rumors tonight and about the Ducks and the cats I'm a crazy cat lady in my town and my and I'm not missing any everybody's president accounted for and you used to be able not to drive through that Park without not having to stop four or five times and you could drive 20 mph now where'd they go I and I've lived here all many many many many years where did they go however city leaders say that rumor is completely false being in a leadership role right now is like a game of whack-a-mole where we jump to extinguish one myth at a time the parents of Aiden Clark also spoke at tonight's city council meeting the 11-year-old boy was tragically killed in a 2023 school bus crash the driver that hit the bus was a haian immigrant his parents want their neighbors and political leaders Across the Nation to stop using Aiden's death as an immigration talking point they have spoken my son's name and used his death for political gain this needs to stop now city leaders echoing that sentiment it is not okay to harass our neighbors it's not okay to harass anyone for how they drive for how they talk for how they look