5874: Deportees and Violence in Haiti (Saint-Vil reponds to Williams) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jean Saint-Vil <jafrikayiti@hotmail.com>

Dennis Williams wrote : «Jafrikayiti claims that deportees are at the root 
of crime in Haiti.Unfortunately, the facts don't bear this out»

No. I did not claim deportees from our friendly neighbors are at the root of 
crime in Haiti. I said the deportees have been a significant contributor to 
the changing nature of crime in Haiti.  Everyone knows that before the 
arrival of these deportees we had crime in Haiti.

Dennis Williams wrote : « Nearly all of them are in Haitian prisons.  
They're taken there straight from the airport and there they stay. The 
government claims that they are there until programs to integrate them into 
the community can be set up.  The deportees and their famlies claim that the 
Minister of Justice is demanding large bribes for their release.  I suspect 
the latter is true, given Mr. Leblanc's reputation, but who knows?»

Your suspicion notwitstanding Mr. Williams,  it seems to me that Chans 
Altènativ (Alternative Chance)  is one of these under-reported good news 
where bon Ginen are working with bon Blan to bring about meaningful and 
positive contributions to Haitian society. See the following link from the 
Panos Inst. Website for a peak at a report titled : «Criminal Deportees and 
Returned Teens - A Migration Phenomenon, a Social Problem». It seems to me, 
thanks to positive programs such as Chans Altènativ, some of these deportees 
are paradoxally leaving hell in the richest country in the world to 
experience heaven, in the poorest of...(you know the song!).

Now, when the report was published, the author, Privat Precil, stressed the 
fact that it is a misconception that all the deportees are killers and stats 
are provided in the report to illustrate the fact that homicide only counted 
for 3 out of the 202 criminal charges for which the 1998 deportees served 
time in U.S. jail. However, when one looks at the pie chart showing 101 
Dangerous drugs (possession or sale?) , 35 Assault or Weapons etc? and when 
one considers that these deportees can be considered « high tech » compared 
to those they meet in Haiti, can we know for sure how many of them may have 
«upgraded» since 1998 and committed homicide in Haiti? You say they are 
nearly all in jail, can someone confirm this with good and specific stats 
please? Exactly, how many are in, how many are out, how many are doing well 
in Chans Altènativ? Remember, there is no Rodolph Guliani operating in 
Haiti. And it seems that the Human Rights organizations have greater 
influence on the Haitian government than do the people. While the reverse is 
true for the U.S. So the rights of these deportees, even in jail, may be 
better protected than those of other Haitians in the general public or even 
in the government itself.

Yes, Chans Altènativ is a wonderful initiative and it has certainly saved a 
few of these deportees from persevering in a life of crime. In fact Haiti 
have at times succeeded in saving some of these guys who would surely be 
doomed if they stayed in the U.S. Prison industrial complex. However, how 
many deportees chose instead to seize the opportunity to engage in more 
sophisticated crime? Does anyone have 2000 numbers?

M. Williams also wrote : And let's keep in mind that we're talking about 
only a few hundred deportees.

A few!  A hundred in Haiti, where prisons are full of holes (physical and 
others), is more than enough to severely affect the society. Especially, 
when Haiti does not have the means to develop a prison industry such as the 
vibrant one in place in all U.S. States.  Furthermore, when one speaks of 
Haiti, one should remember that a city, namely Port-au-Prince, is what we 
are really talking about here.

No, the number of deportees is not relatively few. No, I never insisted 
«that the crime wave is a result of the deportees?» I said it is a important 
contributor.  Not THE cause of.   Perhaps the foreigners living in Haiti 
have good reasons to have different fears than the Haitians living in Haiti. 
In fact, as I compare what my relatives report to be their personal fears 
with what you and other foeigners perceive to be your threat, I can easily 
see that it is not the same demons that haunt us all - Haitians and «friends 
of Haiti» and this is something we need to be always aware of.

Peace,

Jafrikayiti
«Mwen te bezwen sekirite ou fè m kado kriminèl, mèsi zanmi!   Sen Jando 7 
vèsè 12»

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