18466: (Hermantin)Sun-Sentinel-Widespread civil unrest causes anguish for S. Florida Haitians

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Widespread civil unrest causes anguish for S. Florida Haitians



By Alva James-Johnson
Staff Writer

February 11, 2004

As Kathy Holley sits in her Pembroke Pines home, her heart is in Haiti with
Clifford, her 23-year-old son.

He's been in the country running his grandfather's pharmaceutical
distribution business even as armed rebels have taken over some of the
country's major cities, leaving dozens dead.

"I'm very scared of what could happen because life in Haiti has no value,"
Holley said. "People get shot, and they leave their bodies on the streets to
remind others that they could be killed too. But my son is young and wants
to be part of the change in Haiti."

Holley is not the only one worried. As Haiti spirals out of control, Haitian
Americans in South Florida, many of whom have family and business interests
in the country, fear anarchy and pray for a miracle.

"It's a nightmare," said Gepsie Metellus, executive director of Sant La, the
Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami. "People can't believe that such a
cherished dream, the dream and promise of [President Jean-Bertrand]
Aristide, could run amok in this manner.

"People's eyes are glued to TV sets. They're staying tuned to Haitian
radio," she said. "The community is very worried because the situation is
very unpredictable."

But the community still remains divided over who's responsible for the
chaos. Some, like Gerard Latortue, a Boca Raton resident and former Haitian
foreign minister, described the people responsible for the recent violence
as freedom fighters in a battle against an oppressive regime.

"They became violent in response to Aristide," he said. "I see it as a
liberation movement."

Others, like Emmanuel Virgil, co-owner of Virgil Tuxedos in Fort Lauderdale,
think the resistance is fueled by the rich and powerful who don't like
Aristide because of his popularity among the poor.

"There are groups that don't like Aristide and want to grab the power," he
said while working at his shop. "They're just acting like terrorists."
Others in the showroom agreed.

Holley and her son are among those calling for Aristide's resignation. She
participated in demonstrations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, while he
marched with students in Port-au-Prince against the government. Holley
disagrees with the tactics of the ArtiboniteResistance Front, which is
responsible for the current violence in the central and northern parts of
the country. Formerly known as the Cannibal Army, the gang was once
Aristide's strong arm, bullying his opponents. But members turned against
the president in September after the murder of their leader, Amiot "Cubain"
Metayer, whose mutilated body was found with both eyes shot out, reportedly
after a meeting with an Aristide emissary.

"It's the bad fighting the bad," Holley said. "Nobody knows what's going to
happen. I'm more scared now for my family than when they were demonstrating
in Port-au-Prince."

But in a telephone interview from Port-au-Prince, Clifford Holley said he's
willing to stick it out. Holley, a native of Washington, D.C., fell in love
with the country while living there with his parents and two sisters from
1987 to 1993.

In May, he graduated from Florida International University with an
international business degree. A few months later, he returned to Haiti to
run the family business and try to improve life there. He joined the
opposition movement and has seen his share of danger. On Jan. 1, police shot
a bullet through his windshield as he participated in an anti-government
demonstration.

Despite the violence, people are staying in the country, he said. He doesn't
plan to leave either, even with pressure from his family to return to the
States.

"Times are tough, but some of us think it's going to get better, and I want
to be here when that takes place," he said. "When I'm in Haiti, I feel this
is my home, where I'm supposed to be."

Alva James-Johnson can be reached at ajjohnson@sun-sentinel.com or
954-356-4523.
Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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