John Legend Praises New Haitian Population in Hometown of Springfield, Ohio

John Legend is standing up for his hometown of Springfield, Ohio, following Donald Trump and J.D. Vance‘s baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in the city are eating people’s pets.

In a nearly six-minute-long clip posted on Instagram and TikTok on Thursday, Sept. 12, the Grammy winner asked his followers to “love one another” and have “the same kind of grace that we would want our ancestors to have when they moved here with our Haitian brothers and sisters.”

“Nobody’s eating cats. Nobody’s eating dogs. We all just want to live and flourish and raise our families in a healthy and safe environment,” he said.

The musician said that his birthplace had been “shrinking for decades” due to not having “enough opportunity” until President Joe Biden brought “more manufacturing jobs, more plants, factories that needed employees and were ready to hire people.”

According to Springfield’s official website, the total immigrant population in Clark County is approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people.

The population increase is something that Legend said would undoubtedly lead to “growing pains” in the city.

“But the bottom line is these people came to Springfield because there were jobs for them, and they were willing to work,” he said. “They wanted to live the American dream, just like your German ancestors, your Irish ancestors, your Italian ancestors, your Jewish ancestors. Your Jamaican ancestors, your Polish ancestors – all these ancestors who moved to this country.”

The father of four ended his clip by expressing, “John R. Stevens [his birth name] from Springfield signing off.” He also changed his display name on Instagram to “John R Stephens – Springfield, Ohio.”

Springfield, Ohio, became a topic of conversation after Vance wrote in a Monday, Sept. 9, post on X that he has previously raised the issue of Haitian immigrants “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.”

During a segment on immigration during the presidential debate on Tuesday, Sept. 10, the baseless claims were then repeated by Trump.

“In Springfield, [Ohio,] they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people who live there, and this is what’s happening in our country,” he said.

Moderator David Muir then interjected to note that the city manager of Springfield has publicly stated “there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

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Karen Graves, strategic engagement manager for Springfield, also confirmed to PEOPLE the city has not received any credible reports of Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets.