'Very disgusting': Raw Story visited Springfield — and met voters furious with J.D. Vance

Sen. J.D. Vance has disgusted some of his Ohio constituents who are demanding he apologize for issuing comments they say "fueled the fire" of racial hatred in their community.

Raw Story's on-the-ground reporting found many residents and representatives of Springfield, Ohio, furious that the senator centered attention on their city by promoting a thoroughly debunked myth that Haitian immigrants were capturing and devouring ducks and pets.

The rumor was promoted on Vance's X account, and repeated by Donald Trump in front of millions of viewers on the debate stage as he went head-to-head with Kamala Harris, his Democratic Party rival in the presidential race. Pet eating in Springfield became one of the week's biggest news stories.

Read Raw Story's in-depth report here.

"I want J.D. Vance to apologize to our community because it was a disgusting remark, and it has fueled the fire that's already blazing here," Denise Williams, president of the city's chapter of the NAACP, told Raw Story.

She added, “I think it's very, very disgusting to have a running president and vice to even single out Springfield without them educating themselves. It is causing extra turmoil here in our city, and I think it's a very disgusting moment for our community as a whole."

Vance's X post on Monday claimed, “Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country.”

ALSO READ: 'I want Vance to apologize': We went to Springfield and found community hurt — and divided

On Tuesday, he acknowledged his claim may be false, writing on X, ”In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who've said their neighbors' pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants. It's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false."

Town officials also stepped forward to say the rumors were not true. “We wish to clarify that we have not been able to verify any credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community," said Mayor Rob Rue.

But on Tuesday night, Trump told ABC News' debate audience, "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats. The people that came in. They're eating the pets of the people that live there."

Springfield, a town of 60,000 people, saw an influx of an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants since the start of the COVID pandemic, according to officials.

Williams said the attention brought onto the city has resulted in "major turmoil."

“'[The mayor's] been threatened," she said. "I'm getting hang-up calls. I'm getting disgusting emails. You got the hate groups that's here, and it's disgusting.”

Find out what other residents had to say about J.D. Vance at this link.