Feb 9, 2025 Story by: Editor
Springfield, Ohio, has taken legal action against a neo-Nazi group, alleging that its members were responsible for last year’s threats and chaos linked to the city’s growing Haitian immigrant population.
On Thursday, the city, along with Mayor Rob Rue and other plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Dayton against the Blood Tribe, its leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz, and seven unidentified members.
The lawsuit accuses 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 support from the Anti-Defamation League, the plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial to prevent further threats from the group and to obtain damages.
No legal representation was listed for the Blood Tribe in court records. Attempts to reach Pohlhaus and Berentz through listed phone numbers were unsuccessful.
Rising Haitian Population and Tensions
Springfield, a city of around 60,000 residents located west of Columbus, has seen its Haitian population grow to approximately 10,000 in recent years. Many Haitian immigrants have arrived seeking safety and job opportunities due to escalating violence in their home country. The rapid growth has strained local infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and social services, which intensified tensions within the community.
The situation escalated further after a tragic 2023 incident in which a Haitian immigrant driver struck a school bus, resulting in the death of a child.
During a September presidential debate with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump brought national attention to Springfield by amplifying false claims that Haitian immigrants in the city were abducting and eating cats and dogs.
Allegations Against the Blood Tribe
The lawsuit claims that as early as July, the Blood Tribe began portraying the Haitian arrivals as an “invasion” threatening Springfield’s “good White residents.”
“Members of the Blood Tribe heeded the call,” the complaint states. “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.”
According to the court document, members of the group attended the city’s jazz and blues festival in August, openly carrying firearms, waving swastika flags, and wearing matching red shirts, black pants, and ski masks. They later gathered outside City Hall, where Berentz delivered a “racist and antisemitic rant,” prompting followers to respond with chants of “Seig Heil” and Nazi salutes.
The lawsuit further alleges that Blood Tribe members engaged in various forms of harassment, including sending threatening voicemails and emails, making hateful social media posts, and sharing personal information of the plaintiffs to encourage further intimidation. Additionally, the group reportedly used dating apps to lure men seeking drugs and sex to the victims’ homes late at night.
Fallout and Related Legal Action
Although the lawsuit does not directly reference Trump’s remarks, it notes that Pohlhaus “gleefully took credit for the growing notoriety” the false claims gained as they spread worldwide after the debate.
Following the debate, the leader of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a national advocacy group, attempted to file criminal charges against Trump and his running mate, Vice President JD Vance. The group alleged that their rhetoric contributed to the turmoil and threats in Springfield.
In October, a panel of local judges referred the matter to the county prosecutor for further investigation, rejecting the alliance’s request to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summonses against the two politicians.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance has since appealed the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing that Clark County Municipal Court Judges Valerie Wilt, Daniel Carey, and Stephen Schumaker “patently and unambiguously lacked jurisdiction” when they convened to make the referral. A ruling on the appeal is still pending. Source: CNN
