The father of the 11-year-old boy killed last year in Springfield, Ohio, when a minivan driver struck his school bus spoke at Tuesday’s Springfield City Commission meeting. He was again pleading with the community to stop using his son’s name as part of hateful statements toward Haitian immigrants.
Nathan Clark, Aiden Clark’s father, spoke to the community and politicians using his son’s name to further their political views. Aiden was not murdered but killed by accident.
Nathan Clark denounced multiple Republican politicians, including vice presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. JD Vance, former President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno for statements that Clark said “used his death for political gain.”
“I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man. I bet you never thought anyone would say something so blunt, but if that guy killed my 11-year-old son, the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone,” Clark told the city hall forum. “The last thing that we need is to have the worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces, but even that’s not good enough for them. They take it one step further. They make it seem that our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate, that we should follow their hate.”
“This needs to stop now. They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members,” Clark said. “However, they are not allowed nor have they ever been allowed, to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio. I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies.”
Aiden Clark was killed when a 2010 Honda Odyssey driven by Haitian immigrant Hermanio Joseph, 36, went across the center line and into the path of an oncoming school bus. The bus driver swerved to avoid the crash, but went into the shoulder of the road and rolled over.
Hermanio Joseph was sentenced to 9 to 13.5 years in prison for the crash on first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree felony vehicular homicide. Joseph has since been used as a rallying cry for anti-immigrant rhetoric. Joseph had an Ohio ID card and testified during the trial that he was in Springfield on temporary protected status, a legal status.
