Reality star calls for registering to vote amid ‘racism and hate’ over Haitian immigrants

Bravo‘s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais called for the need for people to register to vote in this election as she denounced the "hurtful and dangerous" discussions about the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio.

“Staying silent in the face of racism and hate is something that I refuse to do,” she said in a social media video posted on Sunday. “This past week, the lies that have been spewed about the Haitian community, about my community, have been disgusting, deeply hurtful, and dangerous.”

A post shared by Garcelle Beauvais (@garcelle)

Beauvais, a Haitian-born actress, moved to the United States when she was 7 years old and wrote about her childhood in her memoir, Love Me As I Am: My Journey from Haiti to Hollywood to Happiness.

“We must condemn this kind of hatred, this kind of racism, for anyone," she said Sunday.

“I have always been a proud Haitian immigrant. Coming to America, working hard, that’s what we do,” she continued. “Coming from gratitude. And I will not sit by and let people talk about my community in any way they want for their own gain.”

The reality star spoke in her native language in the video calling for people to register and vote in this election.

“The power we have is to vote, to register and vote, and stop this madness, this chaos,” Beauvais added. “We’re supposed to be uplifting each other, from our leaders to our neighbors. This has got to stop. … We can’t just sit by. Register to vote. We have 50-something days. Go out and vote. We need to stop this chaos.”

Video clips of a recent Springfield City Commission meeting went viral of residents calling out the behavior of the Haitian immigrants who have flooded their small town. Some residents have claimed that they witnessed the immigrants eating animals in the town.

NEW: Springfield, Ohio man says Haitian illegals are decap*tating ducks from parks & eating them, accuses commission members of getting paid off for allowing it.

“They're in the park grabbing up ducks by their neck and cutting their head off and walking off with 'em and eating… pic.twitter.com/uE3wI3CXl3

Former President Donald Trump amplified the claims during the September presidential debate with his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

City officials have denied the claims of pet-eating in Springfield, but Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), who grew up an hour away from the city, was vocal before joining the Republican presidential ticket about the plight of his Ohio constituents.

Over the last five years, an estimated 15,000 new Haitian immigrants have moved into Springfield. Residents have complained about the influx straining local governments and social services agencies and affecting safety.

Viral memes about Trump protecting kittens and a TikTok dance trend of Trump's debate comments spread across the internet following the debate.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/IUb2lT6rvv

Schools in Springfield have received numerous bomb threats, which led to evacuations and temporary closures. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) held a press conference on Monday and shared that there were "at least 33" bomb threats, but they turned out to be hoaxes without "any validity at all." He said they were made from overseas.

On Sunday, CNN's Dana Bash attempted to pin the Trump campaign's focus on the Ohio town as being responsible for the bomb threats.

"The suggestion that because some psychopath is calling in bomb threats, somehow we have to then ignore 40,000 Springfield residents who are having their lives worsened by Kamala Harris's policies," Vance said to Bash.

"You accused me of causing a bomb threat. Doesn't that mean I should shut up about the residents of Springfield? Don’t you realize you're engaged in basic propaganda to silence the concerns of American citizens?" he shot back on CNN.

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In 2021, Harris bragged on ABC's The View about the Biden-Harris administration providing temporary protection status for thousands of Haitian immigrants.

Former Springfield resident and singer John Legend attempted to slam the criticism of the Haitian immigrants coming into his hometown last week but many social media users pointed out that he now lives in a multi-million dollar mansion in Beverly Hills.