This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a 港澳天下彩News partner.
Guy Marlon Dure, a Haitian-American entrepreneur and VH1 star, said it 鈥渉urt a part of my heart鈥� when during Tuesday鈥檚 debate he heard former President Trump amplify the false rumor that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting dogs and cats to eat them.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e saying that immigrants are killing and eating people鈥檚 pets and there鈥檚 no record by the police or anybody over there, that鈥檚 making false statements,鈥� said Dure, who is a cast member of VH1鈥檚 reality series
鈥淚t hurts from our (former) president saying that on national television in front of everybody.鈥�
Dure was interviewed Wednesday at his restaurant La Fourchette in Little Haiti. He said Vice President Kamala Harris deserved his support because of Trump鈥檚 statement.
Trump鈥檚 running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance claimed Monday that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating people鈥檚 pets. The Trump campaign repeated Vance鈥檚 claim in a news release on Monday.
READ MORE: If we demonize Haitians in Ohio, why do we still allow Ohioans in Florida?
His supporters started posting racist A.I.-generated memes on social media on the subject. A billboard campaign launched by the Republican Party of Arizona at 12 sites in metropolitan Phoenix plays off the false rumors. The billboard image resembles a Chick-fil-A ad, portraying four kittens and urging people to 鈥淰ote Republican!鈥� and 鈥淓at Less Kittens.鈥�
鈥淚n Springfield, they鈥檙e eating the dogs 鈥� the people that came in. They鈥檙e eating the cats. They鈥檙e eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what鈥檚 happening in our country, and it鈥檚 a shame,鈥� Trump said during the debate.
Debate co-moderator, ABC News anchor David Muir, then told the audience that Springfield鈥檚 city manager has said there were no reliable reports of the allegation.
Trump and Vance after the debate doubled down on the claim when interviewed by right-wing media.
鈥淏elieve it or not, I feel like it鈥檚 discrimination because you鈥檙e picking certain people from a different country or different part of the world 鈥� he doesn鈥檛 only say Haitians, he says immigrants,鈥� Dure said.
Some people in other countries may consume cats or dogs due to cultural traditions, but Dure said that people shouldn鈥檛 condemn them.
This is not the first time that Trump has disparaged nations with a large Black population. In 2018, he pushed for increased immigration from Norway and referred to Haiti and other African nations as 鈥渟hithole鈥� countries.
With the lure of manufacturing jobs in Springfield, about 15,000 Haitians have moved to Springfield with a total population of 60,000 in the past few years
鈥淭he U.S. is about everybody 鈥� everybody from every culture. The diversity makes us the way we are. That鈥檚 what makes America great,鈥� Dure said.
The city of Springfield said the Haitian immigrants are in the country legally under a federal program that allows for them to remain in the country temporarily.
Last month the for temporary legal status to about 300,000 Haitians because conditions in Haiti are considered unsafe for them to return.
Trump鈥檚 campaign has also tried to use the August 2023 death of an 11-year-old Ohio boy after a vehicle driven by an immigrant from Haiti hit the boy鈥檚 school bus. On Tuesday, the boy鈥檚 father using his son鈥檚 death for 鈥減olitical gain.鈥�
Dure鈥檚 brother, Camille, said Haitians should be known for their accomplishments 鈥� not for Trump鈥檚 rhetoric. An aspiring businessman, his mom is a physician who worked for 鈥渕茅decins sans fronti猫res,鈥� French for doctors without borders, in Haiti.
鈥淚t did get under my skin, but Trump is known for that. He鈥檚 known to always want to make noise,鈥� Camille Dure said.
Guy Marlon Dure grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in a neighborhood of the capital named Bas Peu de Chose. He moved to Pennsylvania at 17 and then attended Santa Fe College in Gainesville.
Dure and his wife, Florence El Luche, have three sons and own multiple businesses, including La Fourchette Restaurant, Siret Cosmetics and the clothing store Abiye Boutik.
The couple are popular musicians who have garnered national fame after joining VH1鈥檚 hit show.
When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Dure and a group of 20 volunteers distributed tents, flashlights and food to more than 30,000. There were 1.3 million displaced people, 300,000 injured, and nearly 222,570 deaths from the earthquake.
鈥淚t was an honor to go back home and help my fellow brothers and sisters that were in need even the older people, especially the senior citizens, they were unable to sustain all this time with no water and electricity,鈥� he said.
鈥淓ven though I wasn鈥檛 able to help everybody, but the people we managed to help during that time 鈥� it was a great feeling.鈥�
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
