As mentioned in my now-edited post, I only became aware of Asra Nomani's investigation into alleged labor trafficking in Springfield after publishing. If I'd known about it earlier, I would certainly have highlighted it. I'm adding some select quotes here. But I urge you to read the article, "Exclusive: Feds and State AG Investigate an Alleged Human Trafficking Empire Run in Springfield, Ohio, for Years by ‘King George’," in its entirety - and, if you on on X, watch her video report there. (Both links posted below.)
*************
"in just 72 hours, I uncovered something sinister that is the real story in this town of about 58,000 locals and an estimated 15,000 migrant workers—a long-standing, hidden human trafficking network that has upended the lives of both the Haitian migrants and local residents. According to sources, with whistleblowers coming forward, FBI anti-trafficking agents and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost are investigating the allegations of human trafficking in Springfield.
...In June 2019, employees of First Diversity were directed to stop hiring locals and focus on recruiting Haitian migrants, sources said. A new routine developed in town. George dispatched unmarked white vans to remote locations in Florida to bring workers from Haiti to Springfield, sources said. One worker said he paid a fee of about $50 for the ride. The scenes in the town became bizarre: I watched the driver of one white van drop a man off at a rundown house with three black trash bags filled with things.
Once they arrived in Springfield, the migrants were packed into dilapidated houses owned by one of Ten’s many companies. I have mapped 45 such properties around town, including at least three homes that were purchased on the same day, Sept. 10, 2020, for $20,000, $28,000 and $32,000. These homes are overcrowded, often shared in shifts among the migrants, some of whom had no stable place to stay and carried all their belongings in backpacks.
In the morning, drivers in the white vans would pick up the men at their homes or at the First Diversity offices at the E. High Street mansion, painted a muted tan, and deposit them at the far end of town in the distribution center, where companies like Dole Foods hired them at cheap rates.
...Local residents have watched helplessly as the number of migrants skyrocketed, rental prices soared, and apartments were transformed into overcrowded tenements. Many locals have seen their medical facilities, like Rocking Horse Medical Center—which accepts Medicaid—overrun with patients, and grocery store shelves often emptied, leaving residents without basic necessities."
Thank you for digging deeper into the issues in Springfield-- lots I didn't know there!
I just came back from a road trip in which I watched TV in my various hotel rooms at night. I don't own a TV and get my news from Substack, X, and podcasts, so it was an enlightening reminder as to why the majority of my friends seem to be living in "opposite world" from me. For example, there was an interview on CNN with the authors of a book that criticizing Elon Musk for allowing "toxic" free speech on X. In the information circles I travel in, there is a lot of (valid) criticism of Musk, but allowing free speech on X is the one thing that is unanimously looked at as a positive. The other thing I noticed were all the campaign ads focused on the abortion issue. While that is certainly an important issue, there is so much else of import that is being ignored, at least in the TV ads I saw.
I don't watch TV news, either - just can't take it - but I do scan the NYTs headlines regularly to get a sense of what I've come to think of as "The Narrative."
It's amazing to me that I used to be someone who really saw the Times and NPR as representing top-tier journalism. I remember being very critical of the Times promotion of the "weapons of mass destruction" justification for invading Iraq, but at the time I saw that as an aberration that would be corrected.
Now I just assume that most of the "news" is crafted in service to a Democratic Party narrative. Having that perspective puts me in a different mental and cultural space than almost everyone I know, who continue to have faith in the veracity of those sources.
Donald Trump's Clickbait Kitty claim is obviously getting at least as much mileage as Team Trump could ever have hoped for. Not sure if that was Trump's innate genius for impromptu quote marketing, or if the anecdote was seeded to him and scripted for him in advance. But it's been good for nearly two weeks of erasing most everything else about the Presidential race, with the Mainstream Media once again doing Trump's bidding as his under-assistant promo staff.. Silly season was supposed to be over, but this may not be the last furry soundbite that Trump pulls out of his rhetorical hat, to the gasps of the media-assembled throng.
Somewhere lost in the discourse: the fact that apparently, the only confirmed incidents of harm connected with the Haitian newcomers is involvement by Haitian drivers in two separate fatal traffic accidents in the county within the last year, only one of which resulted in criminal charges (and conviction.) As for the "tension" and "friction" by the local citizenry, it appears to consist almost entirely of a smattering of verbal grievances. The Haitians aren't wreaking havoc; the local Ohioans aren't gearing up to burn the immigrants out of town.
I don't know what the future brings in Springfield Ohio. But so far, the takeaway from this story has been one of the most satisfying nothingburgers I've chowed down on in months. And the Springfield woman said to have first alluded to the possibility of possible Cat Abductions is now telling everyone to calm down, that the story is merely an unconfirmed rumor.
Personally, I see the MSM and the Democratic Party as in more of a codepedent relationship with Trump: He gets the attention he craves from their outrage at his statements. The MSM gets higher ratings and more clicks. And the Democrats have their all-purpose foil to any doubts or criticisms: Everything they do is legitimate and necessary Because Trump.
I also think that there <<is>> a there there in Springfield - it just has nothing whatsoever to do with eating cats. The best info I've seen on what the <<real>> story may be I unfortunately found out about after I published this. However, I added a link in the story and info in the comments here about alleged labor trafficking.
I had suspected that there was a deeper story to how all these Haitians arrived in Springfield so quickly and what precisely was happening in terms of profiteering in employment and real estate. But I didn't find this report in my research. (A source who will remained unnamed brought it to my attention this morning.) While it's just one report, given the apparent credibility of the reporter and the way it makes sense out of everything else we know, I'm inclined to believe it.
This also puts the extent to which we're being propagandized, misled, and lied to by our leading political figures and journalists into even sharper relief. It's really pretty scary when you stop to reflect on that bigger picture.
Both major parties have gotten complacent. And the idealistic potential of democracy has been reduced to both parties embracing the mission to convince pluralities of Americans in a handful of states that their party candidate is slightly better than the opponent. A hairs-breadth better is sufficient. So neither major party candidate really feels under any obligation to actually be objectively good, or competent; they merely have to persuade voters that they’re less incompetent than the opponent.
Your comment is inspiring me to write up a post on the ballot reform of ranked choice voting, and why as few as two rankings are sufficient to make a dramatic difference.
I really think that the ranked-choice vote movement should consider the benefits of a 1st and 2nd choice--only--in contests for national office. It's 99% of the benefit with 1/10 the complications of adding more choices.
As mentioned in my now-edited post, I only became aware of Asra Nomani's investigation into alleged labor trafficking in Springfield after publishing. If I'd known about it earlier, I would certainly have highlighted it. I'm adding some select quotes here. But I urge you to read the article, "Exclusive: Feds and State AG Investigate an Alleged Human Trafficking Empire Run in Springfield, Ohio, for Years by ‘King George’," in its entirety - and, if you on on X, watch her video report there. (Both links posted below.)
*************
"in just 72 hours, I uncovered something sinister that is the real story in this town of about 58,000 locals and an estimated 15,000 migrant workers—a long-standing, hidden human trafficking network that has upended the lives of both the Haitian migrants and local residents. According to sources, with whistleblowers coming forward, FBI anti-trafficking agents and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost are investigating the allegations of human trafficking in Springfield.
...In June 2019, employees of First Diversity were directed to stop hiring locals and focus on recruiting Haitian migrants, sources said. A new routine developed in town. George dispatched unmarked white vans to remote locations in Florida to bring workers from Haiti to Springfield, sources said. One worker said he paid a fee of about $50 for the ride. The scenes in the town became bizarre: I watched the driver of one white van drop a man off at a rundown house with three black trash bags filled with things.
Once they arrived in Springfield, the migrants were packed into dilapidated houses owned by one of Ten’s many companies. I have mapped 45 such properties around town, including at least three homes that were purchased on the same day, Sept. 10, 2020, for $20,000, $28,000 and $32,000. These homes are overcrowded, often shared in shifts among the migrants, some of whom had no stable place to stay and carried all their belongings in backpacks.
In the morning, drivers in the white vans would pick up the men at their homes or at the First Diversity offices at the E. High Street mansion, painted a muted tan, and deposit them at the far end of town in the distribution center, where companies like Dole Foods hired them at cheap rates.
...Local residents have watched helplessly as the number of migrants skyrocketed, rental prices soared, and apartments were transformed into overcrowded tenements. Many locals have seen their medical facilities, like Rocking Horse Medical Center—which accepts Medicaid—overrun with patients, and grocery store shelves often emptied, leaving residents without basic necessities."
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/375011/feds-and-state-ag-investigate-an-alleged-human-trafficking-empire-run-in-springfield-ohio/
https://x.com/AsraNomani/status/1836395032472948769
Thank you for digging deeper into the issues in Springfield-- lots I didn't know there!
I just came back from a road trip in which I watched TV in my various hotel rooms at night. I don't own a TV and get my news from Substack, X, and podcasts, so it was an enlightening reminder as to why the majority of my friends seem to be living in "opposite world" from me. For example, there was an interview on CNN with the authors of a book that criticizing Elon Musk for allowing "toxic" free speech on X. In the information circles I travel in, there is a lot of (valid) criticism of Musk, but allowing free speech on X is the one thing that is unanimously looked at as a positive. The other thing I noticed were all the campaign ads focused on the abortion issue. While that is certainly an important issue, there is so much else of import that is being ignored, at least in the TV ads I saw.
I don't watch TV news, either - just can't take it - but I do scan the NYTs headlines regularly to get a sense of what I've come to think of as "The Narrative."
It's amazing to me that I used to be someone who really saw the Times and NPR as representing top-tier journalism. I remember being very critical of the Times promotion of the "weapons of mass destruction" justification for invading Iraq, but at the time I saw that as an aberration that would be corrected.
Now I just assume that most of the "news" is crafted in service to a Democratic Party narrative. Having that perspective puts me in a different mental and cultural space than almost everyone I know, who continue to have faith in the veracity of those sources.
I've had a similar trajectory. It seems like they did used to be a lot better, although never without issues (https://www.amazon.com/Gray-Lady-Winked-Misreporting-Fabrications/dp/1736703307).
Donald Trump's Clickbait Kitty claim is obviously getting at least as much mileage as Team Trump could ever have hoped for. Not sure if that was Trump's innate genius for impromptu quote marketing, or if the anecdote was seeded to him and scripted for him in advance. But it's been good for nearly two weeks of erasing most everything else about the Presidential race, with the Mainstream Media once again doing Trump's bidding as his under-assistant promo staff.. Silly season was supposed to be over, but this may not be the last furry soundbite that Trump pulls out of his rhetorical hat, to the gasps of the media-assembled throng.
Somewhere lost in the discourse: the fact that apparently, the only confirmed incidents of harm connected with the Haitian newcomers is involvement by Haitian drivers in two separate fatal traffic accidents in the county within the last year, only one of which resulted in criminal charges (and conviction.) As for the "tension" and "friction" by the local citizenry, it appears to consist almost entirely of a smattering of verbal grievances. The Haitians aren't wreaking havoc; the local Ohioans aren't gearing up to burn the immigrants out of town.
I don't know what the future brings in Springfield Ohio. But so far, the takeaway from this story has been one of the most satisfying nothingburgers I've chowed down on in months. And the Springfield woman said to have first alluded to the possibility of possible Cat Abductions is now telling everyone to calm down, that the story is merely an unconfirmed rumor.
But oh, the Memes of it.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Personally, I see the MSM and the Democratic Party as in more of a codepedent relationship with Trump: He gets the attention he craves from their outrage at his statements. The MSM gets higher ratings and more clicks. And the Democrats have their all-purpose foil to any doubts or criticisms: Everything they do is legitimate and necessary Because Trump.
I also think that there <<is>> a there there in Springfield - it just has nothing whatsoever to do with eating cats. The best info I've seen on what the <<real>> story may be I unfortunately found out about after I published this. However, I added a link in the story and info in the comments here about alleged labor trafficking.
I had suspected that there was a deeper story to how all these Haitians arrived in Springfield so quickly and what precisely was happening in terms of profiteering in employment and real estate. But I didn't find this report in my research. (A source who will remained unnamed brought it to my attention this morning.) While it's just one report, given the apparent credibility of the reporter and the way it makes sense out of everything else we know, I'm inclined to believe it.
This also puts the extent to which we're being propagandized, misled, and lied to by our leading political figures and journalists into even sharper relief. It's really pretty scary when you stop to reflect on that bigger picture.
Both major parties have gotten complacent. And the idealistic potential of democracy has been reduced to both parties embracing the mission to convince pluralities of Americans in a handful of states that their party candidate is slightly better than the opponent. A hairs-breadth better is sufficient. So neither major party candidate really feels under any obligation to actually be objectively good, or competent; they merely have to persuade voters that they’re less incompetent than the opponent.
Your comment is inspiring me to write up a post on the ballot reform of ranked choice voting, and why as few as two rankings are sufficient to make a dramatic difference.
You should! I support RCV and am in fact on the Board of FairVote Illinois, which is the key organization pushing it in our state.
I think that's excellent.
I really think that the ranked-choice vote movement should consider the benefits of a 1st and 2nd choice--only--in contests for national office. It's 99% of the benefit with 1/10 the complications of adding more choices.