a lil something probably not on cnn

[livin42nite]

Since most stories outside of the middle east or the us make the news over here, thought I'd post a little something about whats going on in haiti, this week. It's a lil personal for me, but still you should read it as it makes for an interesting read I guess.

Freedom of assembly threatened, civil society leadership harassed, democracy at risk

Last week, the “Group of 184,†Haiti’s largest pro-democracy coalition of civil society organizations, publicly announced its intention to sponsor a peaceful rally in support of Haitian democracy and social reform—based on what its leadership describes as “a new covenant for a new beginning toward peace, social justice and development.†The appropriate public authorities were also formally notified at this time, in conformity with Haitian law regulating such assemblies. The rally—which is expected to draw thousands of citizens concerned with the seemingly ineluctable degradation of Haiti’s social fabric over the past decade—is scheduled for noon, Friday, November 14th, on the capital city’s central public plaza.

Since the announcement, the regime in place has spared no effort in its frenzied attempts to intimidate the leadership and rank-and-file members of the sponsoring organizations—as well as the general public—in order to squelch this initiative, which it apparently perceives as inimical to its own interests.

One of the principal figures of this non-partisan civil society movement, Andy Apaid, Jr., has recently been served with a re-issued subpoena to appear before the public prosecutor in connection with the events of July 12th of this year, when the regime’s armed proxies (the so-called “popular organizationsâ€) violently assaulted this same group as it attempted to present its proposed new “social contract†to the Catholic parish and public in Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince’s sprawling seaside slum. (The initial summons, to which Mr. Apaid responded in person, was later revealed to be part of a macabre plot to assassinate him with a sniper’s bullet on the very steps of the Palace of Justice! The current appearance has been ordered for today, Wednesday, November 12, just 48 hours prior to the scheduled rally.)

Earlier this week, a public demonstration that targeted Mr. Apaid personally, and “demanded†that the government take action against him on the basis of his presumed dual citizenship in Haiti and the United States, was staged by the regime itself outside the Immigration Office.

Meanwhile, spokespersons for the regime and the ruling party that is behind it have taken to the airwaves on radio and television, unabashedly threatening mayhem against anyone who has the temerity to participate in Friday’s event. The specter of a blood-bath in the streets of Port-au-Prince has once more been raised, as it has so many times before by all those who would continue to rule Haiti with the iron fist of dictatorship.

Both the United States Government, through its Embassy in Haiti, and the Organization of American States, whose Special Mission to Haiti was mandated more than a year ago, have recently criticized the regime for its overt suppression of freedom of assembly and the press, and the countless human rights violations that have been attendant on the execution of this strategy. But with the clock ticking on Friday’s peaceful and lawful rally—which has already garnered the support of a broad cross-section of the capital’s population—the time has come for our government to take an even firmer stand in support of freedom of expression; by immediately issuing an unambiguous statement designed to give the Lavalas regime and its armed thugs pause as they contemplate the consequences of their ongoing harassment of the planners of the event, and the violent assault upon participants that will quite likely be staged on the day itself.

Therefore, the Haiti Democracy Project is appealing to you, in your capacity as a public servant and as a long-standing friend of the Haitian People, to intercede directly with either the US State Department here in Washington, or with your contacts at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, so that the appropriate actions may be taken within the next thirty-six hours.

Like the brave Haitians who intend to risk their safety on Friday in the quest for a better future for all, we too MUST stand shoulder-to-shoulder NOW, as Americans, in support of FREEDOM, JUSTICE and DEMOCRACY throughout the hemisphere.

[livin42nite]

Well this friday, today is the day of the rally and though a bit scared for my fam as they will all be there, kinda proud to see them standing up for every haitian and wish i could be there as well supporting them. It's supposed to have tons of people there rallying and showing that they want a change in the country. Hopefully the government does not act like they did last time and use violence against the people during their peaceful rally. Last time, they had that rally as you could tell from that article I posted earlier it turned nasty as the meeting ended and the group organizing the rally were attacked by people sent by the gov. and luckily they made it out alive.

[mrmatas2277]

i hear ya bro...i have always said the problems of ANY Caribbean country is the problem of the WHOLE Caribbean...i hope they keep exercising their rights..and unfortunately, sometimes blood shed is necessary to bring about change...

[livin42nite]

Well had posted that that thread in the night before the rally and well things have greatly changed since. What was to be a peaceful rally ended up being a big day in the history of haiti. The roads were being blocked with trucks, people throwing rocks, and other types of barricades. The government had set it up so that the manifestation did not occur. On the way there a group of 23 people were arrested, thse were the people bringing down the speakers to the rally and also two others (my older brother and uncle) who were doing security for the rally and on their way down were arrested for allegedly having illegal firearms. 21 of the imprisoned were released after a couple of days, but 4 were still being imprisoned. Two because they were used to be in the military in the past and the other two because of the supposed illegal firearms. Later it was just the two with the firearms, but since the beginning it was clear that the firearms were legal and they had all the rights to have them at the point, but none of that mattered as they were being held under this pretext but it was clear to the haitian public that this was a political hostage situation trying to discourage and scare the movment against Aristide. 18 days after being imprisoned for something which they should have never been imprisoned for even if their firearms had been illegal as normally they seize the weapons and it is a fine not an arrest. Fortunately this helped strengthen a movement against the government and helped unite more and more people.

[livin42nite]

A lot more has happened since then and to make things brief only mentioning a few of the most important events in the past couple of weeks.

The OEA, organization des etats americaines, for one did very little to improve the growing problems there and were pressured to make a move but never did anything other then a few press releases. They were heavily criticized for this and people protested in front of their buildings as well as some staying in the building and refusing to leave until the two who had been arrested at the rally in mid november were let go. They never did anything though to make the haitian government act and after a while the other representatives of their group asked them to leave because they had seen the true face of the OEA.

Students also began protesting in provinces and then moved down to port au prince. On friday december 5th, things took a very violent turn as the aristide supporters opened fire on the students protesting and started to throw rocks at them. They attacked the students before the protest even started as the students were meeting at a university plannning and organizing themselves when shots were fired in the building and rocks were thrown into there. It was a very bloody day with many students wounded.

An unidentified university student, left, helps a fellow student after she was injured when a rock was thrown at her.

Student cry for help at the yard of the university's Faculty of Human Sciences after supporters of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide attacked the student with rock and iron bars in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday Dec 5, 2003.

Haitian national police officer or thug watches brutal dictator and drug kingpin Jean-Bertrand Aristide's criminals beating one of the students demanding that Aristide vacates the Haitian White House during a protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Dec. 5, 2003.

[livin42nite]

These events and many more led to the unity of many different groups, classes, races, political parties. This week the students manifested all week long and on thursday december 11th, 2003 all these people united together and close to 50,000 marched against aristide and protested against him.

Thousands of students demonstrate in the capital Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Dec 11, 2003. Police fired tear gas and warning shots as thousands of university students spilled into the streets Thursday in the latest protest aimed at ousting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Chanting anti-Aristide slogans, students approached the National Palace but were rebuffed by police who fired tear gas and warning shots. (AP Photo/Pablo Aneli).

[livin42nite]

More info about the protest on the 11th can be found on the miami herald released december 12 as it was the front page story.

On december 12th, thousands protested again and on this day barricades were all over haiti to try and stop the people from protesting, radio stations were threatened, guns given to 12 to 15 year old kids to protest for aristide, but they have said that those kids stole the guns from police Tens of thousands of people still went out and protested again today even though violence was used against them again.

Things are really changing over there and it is only a matter of weeks possibly days before aristide is gone. We wished there was more coverage of all this by the american media, but it seems like they are ignoring these types of stories. Oh well at least the change is finally happening and the people of haiti can be free from this man who terrorizes his people and tries to cause division amongst them.

[livin42nite]

Police lob tear gas to break up protests in Haiti, three wounded

19 décembre 2003

Police hurled tear gas canisters Wednesday to break up protests by opponents of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and at least three demonstrators were shot and wounded.

Protesters said the three were all university students and accused Aristide supporters of firing into a crowd of several hundred students as they fled the tear gas.

Earlier, police lobbed tear gas as about 100 other demonstrators left the compound of the Convergence opposition alliance, forcing them to hurry back inside.

It was the fifth time in a week that police have prevented protests in Haiti, and some criticized police for allowing thousands of Aristide supporters to march unhindered a day earlier.

"Yesterday, government partisans were allowed to demonstrate. Today the government won’t allow us to do the same," said Hans Tippenhauer, an economist and prominent Aristide critic.

At least seven students were detained by police. Officers caught four hiding in a yard. Police pushed three others down into a pickup and sat on them as they drove away.

Students accustomed to tear gas brought water bottles to douse their heads, while others spread toothpaste under eyes and noses to reduce the irritation.

"The police are the accomplices of this bloody regime," opposition former Sen. Paul Denis said. "But the time is coming when the people will force Aristide out of power."

Protesters have defied a police requirement to notify them of demonstration routes 48 hours in advance.

The government has accused demonstrators of trying to spoil state-sponsored celebrations Jan. 1 on the Caribbean country’s bicentennial.

On Tuesday, Aristide called for a "peaceful, permanent mobilization" against those seeking to tarnish Haiti’s image.

The protests came a day after many Port-au-Prince businesses closed in a strike called by the opposition and a coalition of civil groups.

During the night unidentified men vandalized at least three gas stations that closed during the strike. Witnesses said gunmen shot up one station, setting two pumps afire.

With many fearing more violence, businesses and schools closed Wednesday in northern Cap-Haitien, the second largest city. Police arrested three opposition activists there, including Jackson Noel, who was charged with firing at a police vehicle.

Wednesday’s protests coincided with the second anniversary of an armed attack on the National Palace. Aristide called the Dec. 17, 2001, attack a coup attempt, but the Organization of American States later concluded there was no proof.

After the attack Aristide backers burned opposition homes and offices, including the Convergence headquarters, which was rebuilt with government funds.

Violence is again on the rise, with 21 killed and scores wounded during protests since mid-September.

Leaflets scattered in some areas Wednesday urged Haitians to "stand up," saying "down with bourgeois students" and "long live 2004 with Aristide."

Officials including the ministers of education and tourism have broken with Aristide and resigned in recent days.

Haiti’s ambassador in the neighboring Dominican Republic, Guy Alexandre, quit last week, saying in letter to Aristide that his partisans’ "aggression" against student protesters was "intolerable."

[livin42nite]

It's time for Aristide to go

Posté le: jeudi 18 decembre 2003

BY MICHAEL PUTNEY

mputney@click10.com

I somehow missed going to Vietnam. Instead, many years later, I went to Haiti. It has been my personal Vietnam.

Never have I seen a place full of both so much beauty and so much misery, often next to each other. Never have I seen a place of so much brutality and so much kindness; a place with such pandemic poverty or such baronial wealth; a place whose problems are so widespread and intractable that I despaired that solutions could ever be found.

A few years ago I gave up on Haiti, but evidently Haiti never gave up on me. Now, despite nearly dying of dengue fever and possibly typhus caught while covering the overthrow and eventual restoration to power of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, I'm thinking about going back.

I want to be there when the Aristide era ends. All signs indicate that it may be at hand. I haven't sensed a similar mood in Haiti since Pope John Paul II spoke to half a million Haitians at the Port-au-Prince airport in 1983. With then-President Jean Claude ''Baby Doc'' Duvalier sitting a few feet away, the pope told the throng, in Creole, that he understood very well how a select few held too much power in Haiti and that the situation had to change. His glance over at Baby Doc as he said it was the beginning of the end for the Haitian ruler. It was one of the few times in my career when I knew I was witnessing an event that would change the course of history. Sure enough, by 1986, Baby Doc was gone.

What will it take for Aristide to go? Perhaps nothing short of a free and fair election when his term ends in 2006. But such an election didn't happen in 2000, and I have no confidence that it will happen two years from now. However, Aristide's reign could end well before then if there are more anti-government demonstrations like the ones that have rocked Haiti in recent weeks.

But Washington and the Organization of American States have to weigh in, too, along with Haitian Americans in South Florida and New York. So far they haven't. That may change today at a rally at the Torch of Friendship in Miami sponsored by the Coalition for the Advancement and Development of Haiti. It represents a cross-section of Haitians living in South Florida who consider the current situation in Haiti insupportable. There will be no change, they say, as long as Aristide remains in the Maison Blanc.

Group 184 leads

That's what Group 184 is also saying. It's a Haitian civil-society movement whose name comes from the number of organizations that united to demand change. They include unions, peasant groups, human-rights organizations, women's groups, and business and professional associations. Its motto can be translated, ''Our will is to live, work and progress together.'' Hardly radical. Which also describes Port-au-Prince businessman Andy Apaid, one of Group 184's leaders. He runs Agacorp, an apparel manufacturer that employs 4,200 people.

''For the last three years,'' Apaid told me by phone, ''our civil-society movemenent has been trying to play a moderate role to solve the political crisis.'' Their method has been a ''Caravan of Hope,'' which has toured the country promoting democracy and distributing the ''New Social Contract.'' It's a remarkable document, worthy of a name cribbed from the Enlightenment. ''It brings all social classes together to break the barriers that exist in Haiti,'' Apaid says. ''That's the only way this country can succeed.'' Like the original Social Contract, Group 184's says that the Haitian government must rely on the consent of the governed.

Spurious charges

Naturally, Aristide sees Group 184 and Apaid as threats. Apaid's brother-in-law and nephew recently were arrested on their way to a rally and held in jail for 18 days on spurious charges. ''By his opposition, Aristide is making us bigger and bigger,'' Apaid tells me. ``I sat with him eight times. I told him: If you do not turn the corner and change, you will go down -- on the eve of our country's 200th birthday.''

I sat down with Aristide first in 1990 in the backyard of a supporter's home in Delmas when he was still a parish priest and social firebrand running for president of Haiti. Soft-spoken and charismatic, he deflected every question I asked about his many anti-American statements and laid out a grand vision of a truly democratic Haiti.

None of that vision has come to pass. And none will as long as Aristide is in office. The time has come for him to go. The question is how. Group 184 and its New Social Contract can point the way toward a new beginning, but to succeed they need pressure from abroad. ''We need the world to pay attention to what's happening in Haiti,'' Apaid says. ``We need them to see that we have a despot, a dictator.''

[livin42nite]

One of his ministers earlier this week asked for people to go out in the streets with machetes and cut off the heads of people opposing the government and many radio stations, journalists, students, opposition have already been attacked.

When arrested the police have not reportedly started injecting some of the students with something, no idea yet on what it is/some say some type of acid. They continue to throw rocks and gas at anybody protesting to stop the peaceful rallies. Haitians are trying to get this story out to the international community as much as they possibly can as the situation is getting worse and worse and the minority (aristide supporters) are armed and ready to kill while the majority go unarmed and get stopped everytime. The majority is trying to show the world the injustices done to them by this dictator.

[marcodavalos]

Good luck bro. Please be safe over the holidays back home.

My prayers are with you, your family and all those involved in true democratic justice.

[seximofo2k]

Why is this getting no media attention?????

[ghhhhhost]

because theyre BLACK

[livin42nite]

Originally posted by ghhhhhost

because theyre BLACK

I don't think it has anything to do with that. To be fair the herald has been doing a good job lately of covering it, the miami abc news has started as well, and expect the ny times to cover it as well soon. Reason it was not being covered, I don't know maybe because the people who run the papers and control the media had a reason not to push the story and to try and keep it quiet for as long as they could.

[pattbateman]

honestly, the majority of the people in our country really probably dont care since there is so much shit going on now with the election and the war and shit.

the obviously why

im not tryin to be a dick

[ghhhhhost]

Originally posted by livin42nite

I don't think it has anything to do with that. To be fair the herald has been doing a good job lately of covering it, the miami abc news has started as well, and expect the ny times to cover it as well soon. Reason it was not being covered, I don't know maybe because the people who run the papers and control the media had a reason not to push the story and to try and keep it quiet for as long as they could.

trust me its cause theyre black.

politicians dont stand behind issues regarding the black population...it would alienate throngs of their racist white supporters

[livin42nite]

I was talking about the media ghhhhost, but if you wanna talk about the us politics and race issues towards haiti then u off again. The problem haiti is facing now (Aristide) has been a problem for many years now, however it is in the past few months that the haitian majority has said enough and they will not take it anymore. Since bush has come into power I can say that Aristide has had less room to commit criminal acts though he still does. The republicans have not given haiti as much money and it is during their time in power many big criminals from haiti such as ketant (one of the biggest drug dealers who was on the most wanted list) were arrested. Why I mention them not giving haiti money as a positive is because most that money never made it to the people, but instead stayed in aristide's pocket.

When clinton was in power though, things were a bit different. It was under his first term that aristide was returned to haiti in operation restore democracy, which turned out to be a very big mistake on his part. Aristide prospered under clinton's time as president and some of hilary's family even got involved in haiti by starting cell phone companies there with some corrupt haitians involved with the Aristide regime. There were many other instances why many blame clinton for many of haiti's problems, but I am not one of those. I think the problem is just on aristide and he used the poor people and gave them hope that he would turn their life around, but then when he had the chance all he did was exploit them and worsen their living conditions. The poor have gotten poorer, the people he wanted the poor to hate because they had money a lot of them died and lost a lot of money, and he himself got much richer.

To say the poltiicans don't get involved cause the people are black is false in my opinion. Politicans got involved in the past for financial and other reasons and the current politicians have gotten involved to try and see what is going on there. Right now though think it was not the time for them to get involved because they were busy with iraq, afghanistan, and defending themselves while improving their economy. Unfortunately right now haiti is at a point that they do need the united states and the international community to get involved so that the situation does not turn even more violent, but a big part of their involvement would have to come from the media covering this story which its finally starting to do.

[livin42nite]

Another news article, this from thursday. Though its reported they found those weapons at the radio station, it is most likely bs as they are doing as they please.

Dec. 18th,

Haiti’s environment minister resigned Thursday in the third defection from the Cabinet of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide as a series of protests have unleashed increasing violence.

Environment Minister Webster Pierre said in a letter read on independent Radio Metropole that he was stepping down "to regain my freedom of speech." He also said he hopes "to reveal the mechanism of a system that entraps politicians and to propose a solution to the crisis."

Meanwhile, his sister Mimerose Beaubrun called radio stations saying a group of gunmen occupied the yard of her house. Beaubrun’s family said she and her husband Theodore, who are well-known musicians, were warned by neighbors as they approached the house and then fled.

The Beaubruns are lead singers of the Haitian roots music group Boukman Eksperyans, which has been critical of Aristide’s government.

Theodore Beaubrun has joined protests demanding Aristide’s ouster and said he went into hiding after receiving threats this week.

"The situation is extremely serious," he told Radio Metropole. "There is no government. It’s anarchy. Street thugs rule."

Tensions between supporters and opponents of Aristide are on the rise in Haiti, with at least 22 killed and scores wounded during protests since mid-September.

Several prominent officials have resigned this month amid the violence, including the ministers of education and tourism.

Pierre’s resignation came after witnesses said police stormed a pro-opposition radio station, Radio Maxima, in northern Cap-Haitien on Wednesday, smashing equipment and shutting down the station in what they said was a search for weapons.

State-run television showed three guns, grenades and camouflage fatigues that police said they found on the roof of Radio Maxima. Eleven people were reportedly arrested, including station employees and others.

Police had a search warrant to enter Radio Maxima, which has encouraged people to join street protests against Aristide’s government.

Police also shot and killed a teenage boy Wednesday during clashes with anti-government protesters in the northern town of Trou du Nord, witnesses said. Demonstrators in Trou du Nord went on to torch several government buildings, including the telephone company and city hall, according to radio reports.

The government accuses protesters of trying to spoil state-sponsored celebrations Jan. 1 on the 200th anniversary of Haiti’s independence from France.

[seximofo2k]

Originally posted by ghhhhhost

because theyre BLACK

We saw liberia all over the news

[livin42nite]

To anybody that was interested in this thread I'l bump it up with a quick update with pics when I get back to the states this weekend, but it has been a crazy end to 2003 and an even crazier start to 2004. Although 2day Jan. 1st was the 200th annivesary of haiti's independence that was overshadowed by many different events that continued to show that aristide must go.