18716: Minsky: Cimo at FOKAL's board meeing (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "tminsky@ix.netcom.com" <tminsky@ix.netcom.com>

A note from FOKAL from a couple days ago--(they teach English, establish
libraries,build classrooms in Haiti. I'm forwarding this note I got
a couple days ago.)

---

Subject: note from fokal


This is a quick note to inform you of what happened today at the
foundation's office.

We were having a regular board meeting. All board members were present. I
usually take minutes at these meetings so I was there. I went out briefly
to
speak to the architect who is overseeing the work at the center. While we
were
talking, our security guard came up and said that a group of "Cimo" (a
special police corp) were downstairs demanding to see the director. I
called
Michele and she told the security to tell the chief to come in. The
security
guard came back quickly saying that the chief gave the director one minute
to
come down before they start shooting.

I accompanied Michele  downstairs. We met with the chief in civilian
clothes
accompanied by 6 to 10 men in uniform, heavily armed with automatic weapons
pointed at us. The chief wanted to know what kind of meeting was going on
and
what type of institution we were. We told him and invited him to come in.
He said
he had no orders to come in, seemed satisfied and took off, only to come
back
five minutes later, with the same ostentatious display of force. This time
he
came up to Michele's office where the meeting was taking place and said his
superiors told him to come back and get the names of all attending the
meeting.
We complied and he left but the whole troup went and ambushed themselves 2
blocks away until we all left.

One board member, Daniele Magloire, member of the coalition of feminists
organisations, took it upon herself to immediately call the press and
protest in
outrage. We would have prefered a concerted protest but it is done. The
foundation will most likely issue a protest note on Monday.

We have received many calls in solidarity and some other organizations may
also issue notes of protest.


(An updated press release is circulating in  French. I couldn't
open the attachment.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .