[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
20833: Morse: Life during Aristide (fwd)
From: OLOFFSONRAM@aol.com
D. was arrested on a Thursday night as he was leaving the Oloffson after
a RAM concert. He was a radio promoter and worked for a few bands. At the
time many journalists in Haiti were in hiding or trying to get out of the
country. Jean Dominique had been shot and killed and Lindor Brignol had
been macheteed to death.D. was taken from the gates of the Oloffson to
the Croix des Bouquets jail a couple of towns over, right behind the
church. The Croix Des Bouquets jail had replaced Fort Dimanche in
notoriety. One cell, one corner to sleep, one corner to go to the
bathroom and somewhere between 15-25 prisoners. Everyone stood. Typically
at 3am they would call out the names of a few of the prisoners, who would
then be taken outside and shot (they called it <escape>). D was taken
along with about twelve other people and paraded around on television as
an accussed kidnapper. I asked around and was advised not to go visit him
at the jail. I got myself a driver and went anyway. It was D's wife, 18
and pregnant, somewhere between child and adult, that told me where he
was. When I got to the jail, I walked up to the two guards, said hello
and asked them how they were doing. They asked me if I would be going out
for Carnival. It was then that a young girl came out of the small prison
house, looked at me and said <Monsieur Richard, they have my father>. She
broke out into tears. Empty plates in her hands. D's 12 year old daughter
had brought him some food. I looked at the guards and asked permission to
enter. They nodded yes. In we went. It took a bit for my eyes to adjust.
I could start to make out sillouettes of the heads inside through the
window. D came to the front, in tears, <mr Richard, look what they've
done to me!>. Another prisoner sang from the back <you got to love
everybody>, reference to a song we had on the radio.A night or two later
15 people were taken out and shot (escaped). D was left to live. After a
month we got him transferred to the Penitencier Nationale, another month
later he was released and a few weeks after that we got him out of the
country. He survived. Grace a Dieu et Sán pa we yo.
Richard Morse