19595: (Hermantin) Sun-Sentinel-S. Florida Haitians erupt in tears, cheers on Aristide' (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


S. Florida Haitians erupt in tears, cheers on Aristide's exile

By Alva James-Johnson
Staff Writer
Posted March 1 2004

As news of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's sudden departure from Haiti
spread through South Florida Sunday, emotions ranged from shock to relief in
the nation's largest Haitian American community.

For those who demanded the President's resignation, Sunday was a new
beginning for their homeland.


For those who fought for Aristide to complete his term, it was a crushing
blow to what they saw as a struggle for democracy.

Despite the deep divide, many called on their fellow Haitians to remain calm
and do what's best for the country, reminding them of the bicentennial that
began Jan. 1.

"Two hundred years ago our forefathers were able to come together and unify
around ... liberating themselves from slavery," said Gepsie Metellus,
executive director of Sant La, the Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami. "I
hope ... this bicentennial year can again be a watershed year in our
history."

Whether such sentiment would prevail was still uncertain. News of the
president's flight sparked a confrontation Sunday morning between Aristide
opponents and supporters near Miami Avenue and 54th Street in Little Haiti.

Miami Police Cmdr. Gary Eugene said someone among a throng of pro-Aristide
protesters threw a rock through the car window of well-known anti-Aristide
radio host Karen Sylvestre, who was stopped at a light in front of the
Little Haiti Restaurant at 26 NW 54th St.

Sylvestre received a few scratches, but was not seriously injured, Eugene
said.

Police shut down a portion of 54th Street for about an hour after the
incident, while Aristide supporters carried signs that read "Stop Sponsoring
Terrorism," "Respect the People's Choice in Haiti" and "No to Coup D'Etat."

"The White House has killed democracy in Haiti," Ludner Beauvoir shouted
through a bullhorn in front of television cameras. "Aristide did not resign.
He was forced out."

`We're liberated'

But at a Mardi Gras festival in downtown Miami, Haitians danced in the
streets to konpa music, waved Haitian flags and sang along to songs
proclaiming liberty.

The Port-au-Prince-based music group, Konpa Kreyol, roused the crowds with
chants.

"Aristide ale, nou libere," the band sang over and over. "Aristide left,
we're liberated."

Before taking the stage, lead singer Joseph Zenny said he could finally sing
more freely about the political situation in his country now that Aristide
is gone.

"Before, we couldn't because there was repression," said Zenny, who left
Haiti about three weeks ago when the turmoil began. "You were in danger if
you talked about politics. I can say anything I want now."

Many also expressed passionate views in New York, home to the second-largest
group of Haitian Americans in the United States. Some were angry that the
United States, which in their opinion played a background role in Aristide's
decision to leave, did not take steps to prevent the violence.

"I'm just flabbergasted by the attitude of the U.S. It's as if the lives of
Haitians are worthless," said Michele Montas, who came to New York last year
after death threats against her and employees at her Port-au-Prince radio
station, Haiti Inter.

Other Haitians living in the New York area said they were happy that
Aristide at last had decided to go.

"I think it's a good day for Haiti," said Alice Blanchet, who lives in
Queens and served in Haiti during the 1990s as an aide to then-Prime
Minister Robert Malval.

In Boca Raton, Lesly Jacques, a Haitian radio personality and Aristide
opponent, said he was glad that Aristide resigned, but didn't celebrate
publicly. "Personally, if people want to celebrate at their homes, I can
understand that," he said. "But our position is that the fight is still on
because we don't want to mess up again."

Gerard Ferere, a retired Haitian navy officer in Boca Raton, was in favor of
the president's resignation, but issued an e-mail warning Haitians that
former military officers who had served under Jean-Claude "Baby Doc"
Duvalier were joining the opposition. He said some were present at an
anti-Aristide demonstration that was held at the federal courthouse in
Broward County Friday.

"We must be very careful not to allow the fruit of our efforts to fall into
the hands of ... the kind that managed to derail our successes in 1986," he
said referring to the year "Baby Doc" departed. "In some of the
demonstrations that took place in Florida, I noticed the presence of some
well-known criminals of the Duvalier era."

Some fear more problems

At the Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, churchgoers
were subdued as they arrived for the morning services.

"If people want to start anew in Haiti they must focus on peace," Pastor
Larson Joseph said. "What we really need is a Nelson Mandela, someone with a
big heart to promote the future instead of focusing on the past."

Many at the church expressed relief the three-week standoff was over. Most
said they had been unable to telephone relatives back home and hoped the
international community would step in quickly to quell outbreaks of
violence.

"This is a relief because [Aristide] has treated poorly his power. He has
mistreated the country," said Monfort Octeus, who lives in Fort Lauderdale
and has family in Port de Paix. "My family has been mistreated in my
different ways there."

At Anne's Take Out Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Marie Pierre, 48, sat in a
chair wearing her apron as she prepared chicken and rice for her customers.
A native of Gonaïves, she hasn't spoken with her family in days.

"Oh my God, there will be more problems now," she said when she heard of
Aristide's departure. "God help Haiti."

The mood was also bleak at Sunday services at Our Lady of Perpetual Help,
which serves 800 Roman Catholic families in Delray Beach. Worshipers sang
Creole hymns and wept openly as Father Roland Desormeaux spoke of Aristide's
departure and Bush's Haiti policy. Many there described Aristide as a beacon
for the ravaged country and consider his capitulation a betrayal and the
result of unwelcome U.S. intervention.

"I can feel the tension in this sanctuary, but we are Christians, and we
have learned to wait in life," Desormeaux said. "Once this is all over, we
need to remember that we will still be brothers and sisters. Let's not let
our emotions curse us."

After Sunday Mass at the Notre Dame d'Haiti Catholic Church in Little Haiti,
Lonice Pascal was inconsolable as she tried to cope with the downfall of the
president she described as the champion and the voice for Haiti's less
fortunate.

"They blamed him for everything. They said he's corrupt. If a dog died, they
say he killed it," Pascal said. "He loved the poor. He ate with them. They
don't support a poor man to be president in Haiti."

Some thought that Sunday's events would mean a new day for Haiti. Eric
Boucicaut, a Haitian living in Miami, said the country won its independence
in 1804 only to become complacent. Now that the country has sunk so low, he
and others believe it will be reborn.

"We fought for our freedom, but we were not mature at that time to know that
building a nation requires a lot of effort," he said. "This is a cycle of
200 years, and Haiti is starting again. We were born as a new country in
1804, and we're being born today as a new nation."

Staff writers Karla Shores, Diana Marrero, Sandra Hernandez, Tal Abbady,
Thomas Monnay, David Cazares, and Ron Howell of Newsday contributed to this
report.

Alva James-Johnson can be reached at ajjohnson@sun-sentinel.com or
954-356-4523.      Email story
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