NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Springfield, Ohio, September 27, 2024: The Haitian community in Ohio, already under scrutiny following former President Donald Trump’s controversial comments accusing immigrants of “eating cats and dogs,” is at the center of a new legal battle. The leader of a nonprofit representing the community has invoked a private-citizen right to file criminal charges against Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, citing the former president’s inflammatory statements and their consequences.
Attorney Subodh Chandra of The Chandra Law Firm, representing the Haitian Bridge Alliance, filed the charges after local prosecutors declined to act. The charges against Trump and Vance include disrupting public services, making false alarms, telecommunications harassment, aggravated menacing, and complicity.
Who is Subodh Chandra?
Subodh Chandra, co-founder and managing partner at The Chandra Law Firm LLC, is a prominent civil rights attorney and former federal prosecutor known for high-profile cases such as the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland. A Yale Law School alumnus, Chandra previously served as Cleveland’s director of law, overseeing a large legal department with both criminal and civil divisions. He has also been deeply involved in public service initiatives and ran for Ohio Attorney General in 2006, receiving widespread newspaper endorsements.
Currently, Chandra is the co-vice chair of the US Commission on Civil Rights’ Special Ohio Advisory Committee, where he continues his commitment to civil rights and justice. Despite his ties to the Democratic Party, Chandra insists his decision to pursue charges against Trump and Vance is purely legal and not politically motivated.
The criminal complaint, filed with the Clark County Municipal Court, seeks to establish probable cause and demands arrest warrants for Trump and Vance or referral for further investigation by the prosecutor. The charges stem from Trump’s claim that Haitian immigrants were killing and eating pets.
“If it were anyone other than Trump and Vance who had done what they’ve done—wreaking havoc on Springfield, leading to bomb threats, evacuated and closed government buildings, and threats to the mayor and his family—they would have been arrested by now. They are not above the law,” Chandra emphasized.
Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump-Vance campaign, defended the former president’s comments, stating that Trump was highlighting the failures of the immigration system overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris. The campaign did not directly address the legal charges filed by Chandra.
The controversy erupted after Trump’s remarks during a debate, where he stated, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs—the people that came in. They’re eating the cats.” The allegations, echoed by Vance, fueled public alarm, leading to over 30 bomb threats and heightened security measures across Springfield, including additional law enforcement presence and the closure of public buildings and schools. Haitian residents expressed fear for their safety amid the growing hostility.
Officials have stated that there is no evidence supporting the claims of pet abductions by Haitian migrants. However, the rumors continued to spread, amplified by Republican figures, including Senator Ted Cruz, who posted inflammatory comments on social media.
