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CBS News
08-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Springfield, Ohio, sues neo-Nazi group that it says led Haitian intimidation
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio city that was racked with chaos and threats last year related to an influx of Haitian immigrants filed a lawsuit on Thursday against a neo-Nazi group that it alleges was at the heart of the onslaught. The city of Springfield, Mayor Rob Rue and several others sued the Blood Tribe, leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz and seven unnamed followers in U.S. District Court in Dayton. They accuse the group of "engaging in, and inciting, 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." With legal help from the Anti-Defamation League, the plaintiffs are asking the court for a jury trial to block the group from making further threats and imposing damages. The court file did not list an attorney for the Blood Tribe. Messages were left at phone numbers listed under Pohlhaus' and Berentz's names. Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 west of Columbus, has seen its Haitian population grow to about 10,000 people in recent years, as Haitians have fled violence in their home country in search of stability and employment. Their growing numbers caused friction with residents, as schools, roads, hospitals and social programs were taxed by the large population — and, particularly, after a child was killed in 2023 when a Haitian immigrant driver hit a school bus. As a candidate, Republican President Donald Trump honed worldwide attention on the city during a September presidential debate with Democratic rival Kamala Harris, when he amplified false claims that Springfield's Haitians were abducting and eating people's cats and dogs. Thursday's complaint alleges that the Blood Tribe first coordinated a "hit" against the city before that, in July, casting the influx of Haitians as an "invasion" that was threatening Springfield's "good White residents." "Members of the Blood Tribe heeded the call," the complaint said. "Over the next few months, 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." The Blood Tribe showed up at the city's jazz and blues festival in August, according to the court document, displaying guns, waving swastika flags and wearing matching red shirts, black pants and ski masks. They made their way to City Hall, where Berentz delivered a "racist and antisemitic rant," to which followers responded with chants of "Seig Heil" and Nazi salutes. Additional actions the lawsuit alleges against the group include harassing voicemails, hateful emails and social media posts demeaning the plaintiffs and their families. The complaint says that group members also used dating apps to send men looking for drugs and sex to the residents' homes late at night and publicized their personal information with the intent of getting others to join in the harassment. The lawsuit does not directly reference Trump's remarks, but notes that Pohlhaus "gleefully took credit for the growing notoriety" the false claims gained as they spread worldwide after the debate. The leader of a national advocacy group for Haitians sought to invoke a private-citizen right to file criminal charges against Trump and his then-running mate, Vice President JD Vance, shortly after the debate, alleging they played a role in the chaos and threats Springfield experienced. A panel of local judges decided in October to refer the matter to the county prosecutor for further investigation, rejecting the Haitian Bridge Alliance's call to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summonses to both men. The alliance awaits a decision on an appeal filed in the Ohio Supreme Court. That lawsuit alleges that Clark County Municipal Court Judges Valerie Wilt, Daniel Carey and Stephen Schumaker "patently and unambiguously lacked jurisdiction" to meet as a group as they did when making the referral to the prosecutor.
CNN
08-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Springfield, Ohio, sues neo-Nazi group that it says led Haitian intimidation
An Ohio city that was racked with chaos and threats last year related to an influx of Haitian immigrants filed a lawsuit on Thursday against a neo-Nazi group that it alleges was at the heart of the onslaught. The city of Springfield, Mayor Rob Rue and several others sued the Blood Tribe, leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz and seven unnamed followers in U.S. District Court in Dayton. They accuse the group of 'engaging in, and inciting, 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.' With legal help from the Anti-Defamation League, the plaintiffs are asking the court for a jury trial seeking to block the group from making further threats and to impose damages. The court file did not list an attorney for the Blood Tribe. Messages were left at phone numbers listed under Pohlhaus' and Berentz's names. Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 west of Columbus, has seen its Haitian population grow to about 10,000 people in recent years, as Haitians have fled violence in their home country in search of stability and employment. Their growing numbers caused friction with local residents, as schools, roads, hospitals and social programs were taxed by the large population — and, particularly, after a child was killed in 2023 when a Haitian immigrant driver hit a school bus. As a candidate, Republican President Donald Trump honed worldwide attention on the city during a September presidential debate with Democratic rival Kamala Harris, when he amplified false claims that Springfield's Haitians were abducting and eating people's cats and dogs. Thursday's complaint alleges that the Blood Tribe first coordinated a 'hit' against the city before that, in July, casting the influx of Haitians as an 'invasion' that was threatening Springfield's 'good White residents.' 'Members of the Blood Tribe heeded the call,' the complaint said. 'Over the next few months, 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.' The Blood Tribe showed up at the city's jazz and blues festival in August, according to the court document, displaying guns, waving swastika flags and wearing matching red shirts, black pants and ski masks. They made their way to City Hall, where Berentz delivered a 'racist and antisemitic rant,' to which followers responded with chants of 'Seig Heil' and Nazi salutes. Additional actions the lawsuit alleges against the group include harassing voicemails, hateful emails and social media posts demeaning the plaintiffs and their families. The complaint says that group members also used dating apps to send men looking for drugs and sex to the residents' homes late at night and publicized their personal information with the intent of getting others to join in the harassment. The lawsuit makes no direct reference to Trump's remarks but notes that Pohlhaus 'gleefully took credit for the growing notoriety' the false claims gained as they spread around the world after the debate. The leader of a national advocacy group for Haitians sought to invoke a private-citizen right to file criminal charges against Trump and his then-running mate, Vice President JD Vance, shortly after the debate, alleging they played a role in the chaos and threats Springfield experienced. A panel of local judges decided in October to refer the matter to the county prosecutor for further investigation, rejecting the Haitian Bridge Alliance's call to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summonses to both men. The alliance awaits a decision on an appeal it has filed in the Ohio Supreme Court. That lawsuit alleges that Clark County Municipal Court Judges Valerie Wilt, Daniel Carey and Stephen Schumaker 'patently and unambiguously lacked jurisdiction' to meet as a group as they did when making the referral to the prosecutor.
CNN
08-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Springfield, Ohio, sues neo-Nazi group that it says led Haitian intimidation
An Ohio city that was racked with chaos and threats last year related to an influx of Haitian immigrants filed a lawsuit on Thursday against a neo-Nazi group that it alleges was at the heart of the onslaught. The city of Springfield, Mayor Rob Rue and several others sued the Blood Tribe, leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz and seven unnamed followers in U.S. District Court in Dayton. They accuse the group of 'engaging in, and inciting, 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.' With legal help from the Anti-Defamation League, the plaintiffs are asking the court for a jury trial seeking to block the group from making further threats and to impose damages. The court file did not list an attorney for the Blood Tribe. Messages were left at phone numbers listed under Pohlhaus' and Berentz's names. Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 west of Columbus, has seen its Haitian population grow to about 10,000 people in recent years, as Haitians have fled violence in their home country in search of stability and employment. Their growing numbers caused friction with local residents, as schools, roads, hospitals and social programs were taxed by the large population — and, particularly, after a child was killed in 2023 when a Haitian immigrant driver hit a school bus. As a candidate, Republican President Donald Trump honed worldwide attention on the city during a September presidential debate with Democratic rival Kamala Harris, when he amplified false claims that Springfield's Haitians were abducting and eating people's cats and dogs. Thursday's complaint alleges that the Blood Tribe first coordinated a 'hit' against the city before that, in July, casting the influx of Haitians as an 'invasion' that was threatening Springfield's 'good White residents.' 'Members of the Blood Tribe heeded the call,' the complaint said. 'Over the next few months, 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.' The Blood Tribe showed up at the city's jazz and blues festival in August, according to the court document, displaying guns, waving swastika flags and wearing matching red shirts, black pants and ski masks. They made their way to City Hall, where Berentz delivered a 'racist and antisemitic rant,' to which followers responded with chants of 'Seig Heil' and Nazi salutes. Additional actions the lawsuit alleges against the group include harassing voicemails, hateful emails and social media posts demeaning the plaintiffs and their families. The complaint says that group members also used dating apps to send men looking for drugs and sex to the residents' homes late at night and publicized their personal information with the intent of getting others to join in the harassment. The lawsuit makes no direct reference to Trump's remarks but notes that Pohlhaus 'gleefully took credit for the growing notoriety' the false claims gained as they spread around the world after the debate. The leader of a national advocacy group for Haitians sought to invoke a private-citizen right to file criminal charges against Trump and his then-running mate, Vice President JD Vance, shortly after the debate, alleging they played a role in the chaos and threats Springfield experienced. A panel of local judges decided in October to refer the matter to the county prosecutor for further investigation, rejecting the Haitian Bridge Alliance's call to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summonses to both men. The alliance awaits a decision on an appeal it has filed in the Ohio Supreme Court. That lawsuit alleges that Clark County Municipal Court Judges Valerie Wilt, Daniel Carey and Stephen Schumaker 'patently and unambiguously lacked jurisdiction' to meet as a group as they did when making the referral to the prosecutor.
The Independent
07-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Springfield, Ohio, sues neo-Nazi group that it says led Haitian intimidation
An Ohio city that was racked with chaos and threats last year related to an influx of Haitian immigrants filed a lawsuit on Thursday against a neo-Nazi group that it alleges was at the heart of the onslaught. The city of Springfield, Mayor Rob Rue and several others sued the Blood Tribe, leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz and seven unnamed followers in U.S. District Court in Dayton. They accuse the group of 'engaging in, and inciting, 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." With legal help from the Anti-Defamation League, the plaintiffs are asking the court for a jury trial seeking to block the group from making further threats and to impose damages. The court file did not list an attorney for the Blood Tribe. Messages were left at phone numbers listed under Pohlhaus' and Berentz's names. Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 west of Columbus, has seen its Haitian population grow to about 10,000 people in recent years, as Haitians have fled violence in their home country in search of stability and employment. Their growing numbers caused friction with local residents, as schools, roads, hospitals and social programs were taxed by the large population — and, particularly, after a child was killed in 2023 when a Haitian immigrant driver hit a school bus. As a candidate, Republican President Donald Trump honed worldwide attention on the city during a September presidential debate with Democratic rival Kamala Harris, when he amplified false claims that Springfield's Haitians were abducting and eating people's cats and dogs. Thursday's complaint alleges that the Blood Tribe first coordinated a 'hit' against the city before that, in July, casting the influx of Haitians as an 'invasion' that was threatening Springfield's 'good White residents.' 'Members of the Blood Tribe heeded the call,' the complaint said. 'Over the next few months, 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.' The Blood Tribe showed up at the city's jazz and blues festival in August, according to the court document, displaying guns, waving swastika flags and wearing matching red shirts, black pants and ski masks. They made their way to City Hall, where Berentz delivered a 'racist and antisemitic rant,' to which followers responded with chants of 'Seig Heil' and Nazi salutes. Additional actions the lawsuit alleges against the group include harassing voicemails, hateful emails and social media posts demeaning the plaintiffs and their families. The complaint says that group members also used dating apps to send men looking for drugs and sex to the residents' homes late at night and publicized their personal information with the intent of getting others to join in the harassment. The lawsuit makes no direct reference to Trump's remarks, but notes that Pohlhaus 'gleefully took credit for the growing notoriety' the false claims gained as they spread around the world after the debate. The leader of a national advocacy group for Haitians sought to invoke a private-citizen right to file criminal charges against Trump and his then-running mate, Vice President JD Vance, shortly after the debate, alleging they played a role in the chaos and threats Springfield experienced. A panel of local judges decided in October to refer the matter to the county prosecutor for further investigation, rejecting the Haitian Bridge Alliance's call to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summonses to both men. The alliance awaits a decision on an appeal it has filed in the Ohio Supreme Court. That lawsuit alleges that Clark County Municipal Court Judges Valerie Wilt, Daniel Carey and Stephen Schumaker 'patently and unambiguously lacked jurisdiction' to meet as a group as they did when making the referral to the prosecutor.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City of Springfield, residents sue Blood Tribe neo-Nazi group in federal court
Feb. 7—The city of Springfield and multiple leaders filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday against neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe "for the campaign of harassment and intimidation they unleashed against the people and city" starting in July last year. The complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and alleges that the Blood Tribe "engaged in a months-long campaign of harassment and intimidation against the city of Springfield and its officials and residents who rebuffed the group's persistent racist attacks against the local community," according to the Anti-Defamation League, which in part filed the suit on behalf of the city, along with law firms Paul Weiss and Taft. The lawsuit alleges members of the group started a "months-long intimidation campaign" in July 2024, and that on Aug. 10, members marched downtown waving swastika flags, yelling racial slurs and brandishing weapons at residents during the city's annual Jazz and Blues festival. One of the Blood Tribe's leaders, Drake Berentz, then ranted in front of City Hall, saying that Springfield had been "taken over" and given "away to savage [racial slur]," according to the lawsuit. The group then responded by chanting "Sieg Heil" and giving Nazi salutes. According to the lawsuit, members of the hate group then bragged about the chaos on social media and said that the "invasion" of Haitian immigrants was a "crime" that would not "go unanswered," and the group promised to return. The suit seeks a jury trial on nine civil charges: conspiracy to violate civil rights, failure to prevent interference with civil rights, public nuisance, telecommunications harassment, menace, incitement to violence, ethnic intimidation, conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Representatives of the Blood Tribe group could not be reached for comment Friday. On Aug. 24, Berentz "threatened Springfield's leaders" at the city's regular commission meeting, saying "if you keep importing Haitians, things will get worse," and telling leaders "you've been warned." Springfield was thrust into the national spotlight in September after national Republican political figures spread false rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets. The city was then plagued by at least 33 bomb threats at elementary schools, government buildings, hospitals and private residences, before the Blood Tribe targeted specific residents, the lawsuit alleges. "The city of Springfield will not stand idly by while hate groups like Blood Tribe attempt to terrorize our residents and violate their civil rights. This lawsuit sends a clear message that hate, intimidation, and violence, have no place in our community," Mayor Rob Rue, one of the plaintiffs, was quoted as saying in an Anti-Defamation League statement. On Sept. 28, 12 members of the Blood Tribe led by Berentz gathered outside of Rue's home and told him to "enjoy your peace for now," according to the lawsuit. The group then went to city hall, where Berentz claimed the city was property of the Blood Tribe and said "we are ready to face the enemies of the American people in the streets until the problem is dealt with," according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says the hate group "set out to terrorize" residents supporting the Haitian community, sending suspicious packages "designed to look like bombs," hate-filled emails, leaving harassing voicemails, demeaning them and their families on social media, using dating apps to "send men looking for drugs and sex to their homes late at night," as well as sharing their personal information online — "all the while actively encouraging others to harass and intimidate them." The plaintiffs include Rue, the city, Assistant Mayor Dave Estrop, Commissioners Krystal Brown and Tracey Tackett, as well as multiple residents — many of whom spoke in support of the Haitian community at city meetings or have provided services to the community. According to the lawsuit, each person was threatened by the group for supporting the Haitian community and was named in bomb threats. The lawsuit names the Blood Tribe as an organization, as well as leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz and seven "John Does" who took part in the July march. According to the lawsuit, the Blood Tribe and its members were "motivated by ethnic and racial hatred" against people who supported the city's Haitian community during the group's "racist attacks." The ADL classifies the Blood Tribe as a white supremacist group founded by Pohlhaus and led by him and Berentz. The Blood Tribe says it has seven regional chapters in the U.S. and Canada. According to the lawsuit, the Blood Tribe "styles itself as the future leadership of the 'Aryan' race, claims to act in 'defense' of the coming 'extinction' of the 'Aryan race,' and seeks to establish 'future Kings that will swear fealty to our Volk' and the 'elimination of all anti-White racial hostility.' " It seeks to remove all nonwhite and "nonracially loyal elements from our society," and also "despises" the LGBTQ+ community.
