An Ohio father is calling out politicians for using the death of his 11-year-old son as a way to create anti-immigrant rhetoric and hate. Nathan Clark's son, Aiden Clark, was killed in a 2023 school bus crash that involved a Haitian immigrant. Aiden was the only student on the bus who died, but dozens of others were injured when a minivan collided with the bus on the first day of school. The bus driver, Hermanio Joseph, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide in May.
Both former President Donald Trump and his 2024 running mate J.D. Vance have used the crash in their political speeches to draw attention to Springfield, Ohio, and create backlash against immigration.
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Clark spoke out against the use of his son's death for political reasons.
"The last thing that we need is to have the worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces," Clark said, speaking to the Springfield City Commission on September 10, NBC affiliate WDTN reported. "But even that’s not good enough for them. They take it one step further. They make it seem as though our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate. That we should follow their hate."
He mentioned specific politicians, including Trump and Vance.
"Look what you’ve done to us. We have to get up here and beg them to stop," Clark said emphatically.
"Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose. And speaking of morally bankrupt … politicians Bernie Moreno, [Texas Rep.] Chip Roy, J.D. Vance and Donald Trump then spoke in my son’s name and used his death for political gain. This needs to stop now," he demanded.
Clark made it clear that Aiden's death was an accident.
In his speech to the Springfield City Commission, Clark expressed that he wished Aiden was killed by a 60-year-old white man so that "the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone."
"To clear the air, my son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered," Clark stressed. "He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti. This tragedy is felt all over this community, this state and even the nation. But don’t spin this towards hate."
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The family doesn't want their tragedy being used to bring harm to any other groups of people.
Clark made it clear that he couldn't understand why his son's death was even part of the conversation about Springfield, sharing, "Did you know that one of the worst feelings in the world is to not be able to protect your child? Even worse, we can’t even protect his memory when he’s gone."
In his closing remarks, he encouraged people to stop the hate.
"I said to Aiden that I would try to make a difference in his honor," Clark said. "This is it. Live like Aiden. Thank you."
