22081: Esser: Haiti Flag Day protest and the truth according to the Marines (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

San Francisco Bay View
http://www.sfbayview.com

May 26, 2004

US Marines dispute Bay View’s account of Haiti Flag Day protest
by Kevin Pina

• On Thursday and again on Saturday, the Bay View received email
messages from U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. David Lapan, spokesman for
the Multinational Interim Force in Haiti, wanting to “correct the
record regarding MIF forces and U.S. Marines.” Lapan is disputing our
coverage of the May 18 protest by 30,000 to 50,000 Haitians,
headlined “At least 9 demonstrators killed during huge march on
Haiti’s Flag Day,” in last week’s Bay View. This response to Lapan by
journalist and documentary filmmaker Kevin Pina, an eyewitness, is
followed by Lapan’s first message, then by responses from Pierre
Labossiere and Wanda Sabir and finally by Lapan’s second message.



I was an eyewitness to events of May 18 and wish to publicly respond
to a letter written to the SF Bay View by Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, USMC,
director, Public Affairs Office of the Combined Joint Task Force,
Haiti. His letter was a response to an account of events on May 18
written by attorney Marguerite Laurent and published in the Bay View
May 19.

While it is true I did not see the Marines fire into crowds, it is
also true they were not required to do so, as they left that dirty
work to the SWAT team of PNH or Police Nationale de Haiti (which
Lapan should know is the correct acronym, by the way, not HNP). The
role of the Marines was to enter the heart of the neighborhood of Bel
Air with an extraordinary show of numbers and firepower in a clear
effort to intimidate the community.

The Lavalas demonstrators had decided earlier to use the area in
front of Perpetual Catholic Church in Bel Air, after receiving a
legal permit to demonstrate from the police, as a rallying point for
their intended peaceful march demanding the return of their
constitutional President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Should Lapan decide
to question whether Lavalas received such permission to demonstrate,
I have a copy of the approval document with an official PNH stamp
bearing the signature of a senior officer.

Lapan is indeed correct in describing the Marines as having
“assisted” the PNH. While the Marines intimidated the community with
an excessive show of armaments, or what he calls a “security
presence,” the demonstrators would then mass to leave the area and
march down toward Champ de Mars. As they descended, the Marines
became conspicuously absent as SWAT teams wearing black battle gear
suddenly drove up to the front of the march and opened fire. It had
the appearance of a clearly designed and coordinated strategy between
the U.S. Marines and the Haitian SWAT team to forcefully break up an
otherwise peaceful march.


In addition, there were several statements given on the scene that
more than one demonstrator had been shot by the Marines’ backup SWAT
teams of the PNH. There were also unconfirmed reports, as there have
been on several other occasions, that the Marines placed corpses in
black body bags and immediately removed them from the scene.

Many inquiries have been made at the General Hospital morgue in Port
au Prince and private morgues throughout the capital by countless
families who have been unsuccessful in finding the whereabouts of
missing relatives who publicly identified themselves with Lavalas.
These instances of disappearances have grown in such frequency that
it has led many of the poor, whether rationally or irrationally, to
believe that the U.S. Marines may have a morgue of their own hidden
somewhere in the area of the capital.

Lapan states, “Press accounts here in Haiti are that one person - not
nine - was killed during the demonstration. It remains unclear how
that person died.” As to the actual number killed on May 18, I can
guarantee Lapan that the investigation continues by credible human
rights activists and journalists. I wonder if he and his forces can
claim they are doing more to investigate the truth other than relying
upon “press accounts.”

As to his statement about the one person confirmed killed by a less
than reliable Haitian press, I can state that I was a witness to the
killing of Titus Simpton. Yes, Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, USMC, you should
at least know the victim has a name and an age like yourself: Titus
Simpton was 23.

He was shot and killed by a Haitian SWAT team member less than 30
yards in front of me, and it was I who filmed his last breath as he
lie bleeding from a single shot to the head. The only weapon he had
in his hands lay beside him, a bloodied Sony Walkman he was listening
to as he marched peacefully demanding the return of his president.

After this, I attempted to film the faces of the SWAT team members
who shot towards the crowd and they immediately responded by firing
off two rounds in my direction. That Lapan states he does not know
this is disingenuous, as I later reported it to an Officer Vasquez
and gave him the license plate number of the vehicle the SWAT left in
shortly after the murder of Simpton. Given his sense of duty and
military discipline, he must also know I have since been contacted on
two other occasions to verify the information.

I have interviewed every single member of Annette Auguste’s
household, and they all tell the same story. At 12:30 a.m. on the
morning of May 10, a Special Forces team of the U.S. Marines
violently invaded her home using explosive devices, terrorizing the
occupants. I have photos of the damage and the paraphernalia left
behind, including blasting caps and M-60 fuses.

The Haitian police never entered the premises nor did any official
magistrate of the Haitian government. This was a unilateral home
invasion undertaken exclusively by U.S. forces as the PNH stood
outside watching from their vehicles. A warrant was asked for several
times by those inside, and none was ever produced at the scene.

While Lapan states that this armed assault was undertaken “for
questioning about threats to our forces and to stability and security
in Haiti,” he then contradicts himself by stating that PNH arrested
Auguste on an outstanding warrant. Again, every single occupant and
neighborhood dweller who witnessed this event states quite clearly
that PNH never entered the premises.

If this overwhelming testimony is true, then why on earth are the
U.S. Marines executing arrest warrants for the Police Nationale de
Haiti? The larger question to Lapan is, where is the evidence to back
up the U.S. claims that Auguste was at any time a threat to “his”
forces and “stability and security in Haiti”? Provide us with the
evidence and hold yourself to the same standards of proof you demand,
or maybe we should just listen to the Haitian press and accept it as
gospel.

When Annette Auguste was arraigned this week, the only charge made
before the court was a weak accusation of purported participation in
events that occurred at a university campus last Dec. 5. There was
never any mention of her being a threat to U.S. forces, stability and
security in Haiti.

In fact, the presiding judge never showed up to the evidentiary
hearing on May 20, and Auguste’s lawyers suspect this is because it
is clear there is no evidence to justify continuing her
incarceration. Unless this is a stalling tactic to allow more time
for Lapan and “his” forces to prepare a stronger case for what appear
on the surface to be specious and outrageous charges targeting an
individual for her political beliefs.

Can we believe Lapan and the U.S. government when they state that
“last week's arrest of Annette Auguste by the Haitian National Police
had nothing to do with planned Flag Day activities”? The only way to
answer that is by citing the role this brave woman has played in
organizing previous peaceful marches and rallies in defense of
democracy in Haiti.

Anyone who knows Auguste’s history is well aware of the huge cadres
of women who heed her call in Haiti and identify themselves by
dressing in white. Of course, Lapan could not be expected to know
this, as he has not been here that long and his knowledge of the
history and culture come from “official” briefings prepared for him
by military intelligence specialists.

Did Annette Auguste’s arrest have any impact on the peaceful May 18
Flag Day demonstration demanding Aristide’s return? You certainly
prove you know little about Haiti if you think it didn’t. Lapan’s
response is either mere rhetoric approved by his superiors or proves
how little he actually knows about contemporary Haitian history.

My final offering concerning the arrest of Annette Auguste is this
letter sent May 11 from Congresswoman Maxine Waters to Secretary of
State Colin Powell which shows the serious questions raised by this
incident.

“Dear Secretary Powell:

“I write to urge you to immediately investigate the circumstances of
the arrest of Anne Auguste (Sò Ann), a well-known Haitian woman, who
was arrested on or about 12:30 a.m., May 10, 2004, by U.S. military
personnel in Haiti, acting as part of the Multinational Interim Force
(MIF). I have seen reports that indicate that U.S. soldiers blew up
the gates at Anne Auguste's home with grenades and entered her house
carrying machine guns. Eleven occupants of the house, including two
children, were taken into custody and interrogated. Anne Auguste was
arrested and transferred to the Haitian National Penitentiary.

“Ms. Auguste is an elderly Haitian woman on medication who is
recovering from recent surgery. Her grandson, who was one of the
children detained and who was placed in handcuffs, is a five-year-old
boy. It is virtually impossible to believe that an elderly woman and
a child needed to be subjected to such overwhelming force, even if
the MIF deemed it necessary to interrogate them. Ms. Auguste remains
under arrest. While she was finally taken before a judge today, she
still has not been charged with any crime.

“It is critical that you explain why Ms. Auguste is being detained or
release her immediately. I urge you to conduct an immediate
investigation into the circumstances surrounding her arrest in order
to determine the reasons for her arrest, the charges against her - if
any - and whether excessive force was used against her or other
occupants of her household. If it is determined that excessive force
was used, it is imperative that you act to hold accountable those who
were responsible.

“Finally, I urge you to monitor the actions of U.S. armed forces in
Haiti and ensure that they not take any actions that could endanger
the very Haitian people whom you say they are there to protect. I
would appreciate it if you would contact me as soon as possible to
clarify the circumstances of Anne Auguste's arrest and to advise how
you intend to proceed. I look forward to your prompt response.

“Sincerely,

“Maxine Waters, Member of Congress”

As far as the question of who fired upon me, I stated earlier it was
elements of the Haitian SWAT team who were being “assisted,” to use
Lapan’s word, by the U.S. Marines. That does not mean that I was not
threatened by the U.S. Marines. Before the killing of Titus Simpton,
I was disgusted, as an observer and journalist, to see how the U.S.
Marines coordinated and provided cover for the Haitian National
Police to attack the peaceful march by Lavalas on May 18.

As I was filming in one of the calmer moments of that day, one of the
Marine grunts asked me, “What’s up?” I made the mistake of giving him
my honest opinion, to which his commanding officer on the scene
responded by threatening to handcuff me and arrest me on the spot.

I provided him with my press credentials and asked him to identify
himself. He purposely hid his name tag under the strap of his M-16
and refused three requests I made for him to identify himself. He
threatened me again with immediate arrest if I did not leave “his”
Marines alone.

I considered it a display of arrogance and abuse of authority that
has come to symbolize the U.S. Marine presence in Haiti. In my
opinion, the Marines are being used as pawns in a foreign policy
debacle in the making by the Bush administration.

The U.S. forces are now trying to pretend they have no control over
the Haitian police, while they were clearly seen collaborating and
directing their movements. Even if Titus Simpton was the only murder
victim on May 18, my photo of him drawing his last breath before
dying is a symbol for the new nightmare the Bush administration now
calls democracy in Haiti.

The Haitian people deserve better, the average American soldier
deserves better and the American people deserve better.

• Kevin Pina is associate editor of the Black Commentator
(www.blackcommentator.com) and special correspondent for Flashpoints
on KPFA radio in Berkeley, the flagship station of the Pacifica Radio
Network.



Marines did not fire into any crowds, period
by Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, USMC

Your report on the Flag Day demonstration in Haiti is inflammatory
and so riddled with factual errors as to be nearly fictional. As the
spokesman for the Multinational Interim Force in Haiti, allow me to
correct the record regarding MIF forces and U.S. Marines.

First, Marines did not fire into any crowds, period. Marine forces of
the Multinational Interim Force did not fire any bullets - into the
air, into the ground or at individuals. No one was killed by U.S.
Marines. The Marines did not "take away" any bodies. Marines were
indeed on the streets to provide a security presence and to assist
the HNP as requested, but contrary to your report, they did not
witness any "slaughter." Press accounts here in Haiti are that one
person - not nine - was killed during the demonstration. It remains
unclear how that person died.

In addition, last week's arrest of Annette Auguste by the Haitian
National Police had nothing to do with planned Flag Day activities;
instead, she was detained by MIF forces for questioning about threats
to our forces and to stability and security in Haiti. She was
arrested by the HNP on an outstanding warrant.

If you have information that an American journalist was fired upon by
U.S. Marines, as you report, why do you not divulge the name or
affiliation of that reporter? Since this event never happened, as no
Marines fired their weapons as previously stated, I would be
interested in speaking to the journalist to hear from him (or her)
what he believed happened.

Finally, in both this report and in your previous story on the arrest
of So Ann, you quote me or attribute statements to me even though you
have never called to speak to me directly. It is clear from both your
methods and your reporting that your publication is interested only
in rumors and falsehoods. I find no other way to characterize what
you have published on events in Haiti.

If you or your correspondents are interested in the full story of
what is happening here, I'd recommend that you contact me directly,
as well as the spokesmen for the Haitian National Police and the
interim government.

• Lt. Col. Lapan is director of the Public Affairs Office, Combined
Joint Task Force- Haiti, APO AA 34005, (509) 514-0353/552-2659.




The Haitian diaspora has been buzzing with similar reports
by Pierre Labossiere

Marguerite (Laurent, who wrote the story Lapan is disputing) made at
least two phone calls to Haiti that I know of regarding this story
and spoke to participants in the May 18 demonstration who provided
her the info that she so movingly reported. I was also provided
similar information by others on the ground.

That there could be such close collaboration between the U.S. Marines
and death squad killers in Haiti who have been integrated into the
Haitian police by U.S. occupation authorities is in itself odious and
criminal. That peaceful demonstrators running for their lives under
automatic gunfire could not differentiate between self-styled
"peacekeepers" and their protégés, the "new and improved" death squad
police force, is very revealing of the repressive realities of this
occupation.

Let us not forget the consistent denunciations by the people of Haiti
of the actions of the U.S. occupation forces, from the kidnapping of
President Aristide, raids and killings particularly in poor
neighborhoods greatly supportive of President Aristide, the brutal
arrest of Sò Anne and other Lavalas members, to the hostility and
menacing attitude of the U.S. military in open collaboration with the
Haitian police moments before the May 18 shootings, in their combined
attempt to break up a legally permitted demonstration.

Let the U.S. occupation forces convince those who had witnessed their
collaboration with their protégés, the death squad police, and were
too panic-stricken, fleeing for their lives, to be mindful of the
"division of labor" between U.S. forces and their protégés on this
tragic day as to who actually fired on this unarmed crowd. Reports by
several participants I spoke with who were still in shock clearly
mentioned both U.S. forces and the Haitian police. The Haitian
diaspora has been buzzing with similar reports.

• Pierre Labossiere is a native of Haiti and a founding member of the
Haiti Action Committee, www.haitiaction.net.





You are extremely naive or blind, Lt. Col. Lapan
by Wanda Sabir

Dear Lt. Col. Lapan:

I am responding to an email forward of your letter to my editor at
the San Francisco Bay View newspaper, where the story about U.S.
Marine atrocities was printed Wednesday, May 19, 2004, about Haitian
Flag Day 2004.

We have several reports from eyewitnesses verifying the claims
Marguerite (Laurent) states in her article. Since their arrival on
Haitian soil, the U.S. Marines seem to have done nothing to help the
poor and now under siege Lavalas supporters.

While criminals run the police force and hunt Aristide supporters
throughout the countryside, the U.S. Marines, according to eyewitness
reports, facilitate the massacres by standing aside or shooting into
crowds, arresting and torturing victims themselves, then disappearing
the bodies so that there is no proof.

How can you say that these reports are fallacious when we have
American citizens, journalists and members of the accompaniment units
who have seen otherwise? A few persons who returned just two weeks
ago reported back on Thursday, May 20. I was there. Visit
www.haitiaction.net for more information or www.flashpoints.net.

The Bay View doesn't want to discredit the U.S. military; however,
peace is not what the occupation is all about. It's about crippling a
country that was lame, yet beginning to take giant steps toward
democratic leadership and rule - rule of law, which is something the
Marines in Haiti and elsewhere seem to have forgotten.

Now, you can give me your side of the story, but if the protest was
as large as witnesses say, then how can you be certain that what was
reported is factual? Were you there? Do you have pictures? We do.

Congressmembers Barbara Lee and John Conyers' House Bill 3919, The
Responsibility to Uncover the Truth about Haiti (TRUTH) Commission
Act, an investigation into the events that led to President
Aristide's kidnapping by U.S. Marines, the installation of new
leadership, namely Prime Minister Gerald Latortue, and these
peacekeeping forces – U.S., French, Canadian, etc., what the Haitians
call "occupying forces," the Group 184, Andre Apaid, war criminals
such as Guy Philippe, etc. - is necessary to find out why American
forces are in Haiti in the first place and what this occupation means.

No one here at home can figure out why the U.S. is so interested in
Haiti. There's no oil there. It's a democracy.

Is it simply as Bush is quoted as saying the other day that a Black
nation can't rule itself, the same sort of comment another president
made about the Philippines?

Is this what fuels this antagonistic relationship that goes back over
100 years - racism, bigotry? I'm certain the brave men and women who
volunteer to serve their country do not support such foolishness.

Haitians helped America become an independent and free nation, and
this is how our country shows its thanks, by undermining its progress
every step of the way, supporting coup after coup, including
instigating and carrying out one itself, on Feb. 29 of this year?

Either you are extremely naive or blind, Lt. Col. Lapan.

CARICOM refuses to recognize the current government. OAS had a vote
yesterday (Thursday), despite U.S. disapproval of the call to
investigate Aristide's removal.

Why is the U.S. military there? Why have soldiers displaced medical
students and set up camp in the medical school? Why are convicted war
criminals in positions of authority and allowed to terrorize those
who testified against them? These men were in prison; now they
control the prisons. Children are being killed, shot point blank just
because their parents believe in justice and democracy - what America
supposedly stands for.

How can you say that the situation is getting better? Hasn't U.S.
presence made the situation worse? There is a direct parallel between
what is going on in Haiti and what is happening in Iraq regarding the
U.S. military. The only difference is that in Haiti, most if not all
the casualties are on the Haitian side.

• Wanda Sabir is arts editor for the Bay View. Email her at
wsab1@aol.com.





Our presence has made a positive difference
by Lt. Col. Dave Lapan

Ms Sabir: I have no desire to get into a debate with you over the
political situation in Haiti; that is not my place as a military
spokesman. I would like to address a few of the points you have made
with regards to the military presence here.

First, you say Marines have done no good since they have been in
Haiti. The attached fact sheet, which has been provided to the
Haitian media as well, lists just a few of the successes we have had
since we arrived. This is just a tip of the iceberg.

Second, as I said in my first letter, Marines have neither fired into
crowds nor stood by while Haitian police did. We have not arrested or
tortured anyone. If you have proof of such, I would be interested in
seeing it, and not simply "eyewitness" reports from those with an
agenda. Talking to selected individuals, especially if all are
members of the same group, may not present an accurate picture of
events. As a journalist, you know to seek the opinions of many people
in order to corroborate stories. I have not been contacted by any
journalists who claim to be eyewitnesses to what you have reported.
Nor was I contacted by your organization to ask about the allegations
before simply printing them. What pictures do you have, other than
those of bodies? How do you know how those people in the photos were
killed or injured? In Haiti (as in San Francisco and any other
population center) people die but how they died is not always
knowable. For all the accusations of Marines firing into crowds or
standing by while others did, I have seen no photos to support those
claims.

All of the military forces here, including the Marines that you
disparage, adhere strictly to the rules of engagement, UN Chapter 7
(under which this force operates) and international law. If there are
violations, we take action to correct them and hold those accountable
for violating them. But that hasn't been the case.

To answer your question, the U.S. military is here as part of a
four-nation Multinational Interim Force authorized by UN Security
Council Resolution 1529 (passed unanimously on Feb. 29). We are here
because the commander-in-chief of the armed forces ordered us here.
And we have accomplished much in the two months we have been here. We
have our headquarters at a former medical university because the
government of Haiti authorized us to be here. When we arrived, there
were no students here and the buildings of the university had been
heavily damaged and looted. Our force has spent more than one-half
million dollars to repair and refurbish this complex. We have
provided water from the wells here to the local community. Ask those
people, who had to walk miles each day for water if they object to
our presence. Because of the destruction, were we not here, I doubt
any classes would be in session. And rather than focusing on the 200
or so students who once attended classes here, why not focus on the
thousands of students across Haiti who can once again attend classes
because we are here. Before the arrival of the Multinational Interim
Force, schools were closed, businesses were closed, people stayed in
their homes day and night for fear of being killed. Those conditions
no longer exist.

Are there Haitians who think we are occupiers? I'm sure there are.
Are there some who wish we would leave? Yes. But I think MOST
Haitians recognize that our presence has brought them back from the
chaos that existed during February. We can't solve all the problems
that face this country or her people but our presence has made a
positive difference in the lives of many.

As for your hints of racism, I'd be happy to have you converse with
the many soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen of
color who are part of our force - to include a number of
Haitian-Americans - and I know you'll hear differently. In fact, in
my job, I'm paid to be diplomatic. I can't guarantee that they'd
respond in the same fashion.

Finally, other than the presence of U.S. military forces, there is
nothing connecting Iraq and Haiti. They are completely different
situations and circumstances.

• Read the powerful responses to Lt. Col. Lapan by two
Haitian-American lawyers, Lionel Jean-Baptiste, a well-know
reparations activist in Chicago, and Francois-Marie Michel, a popular
radio host in New York, at www.sfbayview.com.
.