A rumor claiming that Haitian immigrants have been stealing and eating cats and dogs has gone viral, with its roots traced back to a Facebook post by 35-year-old Erika Lee. The local post, originally shared in a small Facebook group, unexpectedly found its way into a national debate. "Honestly, it blew me away," Lee told NewsGuard. "I never thought this story would reach the presidency."
The rumor originated when Lee heard the story from her neighbor, Kimberley Newton, who had heard it from her daughter's friend. The tale involved a cat owner who allegedly found her pet dead, hanging from a tree, ready to be butchered near a house occupied by Haitian immigrants. Despite sharing the story, both Lee and Newton admitted they didn't know the cat owner personally, casting doubt on the rumor's credibility.
NewsGuard tracked the rumor's path from the supposed cat owner, to Kimberley, to Lee, and eventually to prominent conservative figures. It then spread through social media, catching the attention of politicians such as JD Vance and Donald Trump.
Lee's original post, dated September 5, was a fourth-hand retelling. In the post, Lee wrote, "My neighbor informed me that her daughter's friend had lost her cat. One day, she came home from work and saw her cat hanging from a branch at a nearby house where Haitians live. They were carving it up to eat." The post further claimed that Haitians were doing the same to dogs and waterfowl at a local park, based on unverified information from park rangers and police.
The rumor gained even more traction when JD Vance referenced it in a social media post. Although fact-checkers debunked the story, Vance did not back down. He doubled down on his stance, blaming Vice President Kamala Harris for the situation in Ohio. "In Springfield, Ohio, there has been a massive rise in diseases, rent prices, car insurance rates, and crime. This is the result of dropping 20,000 people into a small community. Kamala Harris's immigration policy aims to do this nationwide," Vance wrote.
Despite being widely discredited, the story continues to circulate, fueling political rhetoric. This case illustrates how rumors can escalate, even reaching the highest levels of political discourse.
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