#1905: Re: #1897: Tourist shot dead. a reply to Delatour

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: jewel <redlion@ufl.edu>

Dear Mr. Delatour,

You have a great point as to the timing of these killings. However I am not
sure that I woudl interpret then quite the same way you did.
I don't know if you go to Haiti regularly but I was there last Christmas. I
go regularly twice a year and I only left the country four years ago.

There is one thing I have noticed mainly in the population that has changed
only since I have been gone and that is their general appearence. City youth
are surely MUCH more Americanised than when I left (and I'm not talking
about the bourgeois kids who've always been that way). I see gold teeth and
baggy jeans wher I used to see fresh faced smiling young men with pearly
whites and modest but clean and simple clothing.
I see stretch mini skirts and afro American up do's where I used to see
permed hair or African braids on beautiful Tropical women dressed in
sensual, yet conservative, clothes.
All this says something to me. The population is changeing, and so is the
atmosphere.

There is a recrudescence of violent behavior that is not typical of the
traditionnal haitian people. This behaviour is freshly imported from the
ghettos of our good old USA.
I will give you an example to show that this does not only occur in the
Capital.

You are probably aware of the important drug ring going on in the south of
the country.
Well, last June, my parents and I went on a long weekend to the magical town
of Port Salut. A wonderful experience that I am looking forward to repeat
next time I go home.
At this pont I must say that my father drives a very recent sports utility
vehicle.
On our way back from Port Salut we arrived at les Cayes. After passing
Kalfou 4 Chemins, we noticed a white BMW following us. The windows were
tinted black so we couldn't see who was driving. My father slowed down and
the car did not pass us. We stopped our vehicle and the car passed. Further
on the road we found the car again waiting for us. It took off right behind
us again. At that moment, my father stopped our car again. Pulled out his
hand gun and put it in his lap and gave me his shotgun (he had gone hunting
that weekend).
We started driving again and we found the BMW further ahead again waiting
for us. As we got to Cavaillon, we pulled into the marketplace, only to
notice 5 minutes later the BMW pulling in behind us. When we realized what
what going on, my father stepped out of the car while I stood behind him
with the rifle, and went to the driver clearly showing that he was armed. He
asked the guy if he had a problem and the man responded to him in
Creole/English that he was just providing security in the area. He then took
off and we never saw them again.

>From talking to te area farmers my father learned that these were local drug
lords, and gangsters.  They probably would have attacked us had we not been
on our gards and armed.
This event had nothing to do with politics directly. They are random acts of
greed and violence committed by people who learned of these things in the US
or wherever they came from and are applying them in Haiti.
It use to be that the only crimes commited in Haiti were revenge crimes, if
you stepped on someone's toes. While this is by no means acceptable
behaviour, it is at least understandable. Gratuitous violenc is not inherent
in our country. Psychologicsl research has proven that violent gratuitous
crime occur mainly in industrialized nations whereas political crimes and
crimes of desperation (if somebdy is starving) are most likely to occur in
third world countries.

Though I do agree that the timing for those killings is odd, I don't think
they have anything to do with the elections. I jus think they are one mre
example of the state of decay in which our society is plunged with its lack
of education healthcare , food and political/ judiciary system topped of
with the newly arrived destructive youth that is simply escaping from prison
in the USA.
The same thing happened in Jamaica during the early 80's. Kingston was
flooded by young Jamericans (jamaican americans) who were pursued by the law
in the US and claime Jamaican citizenship to escape punishment. Now,
Kingston is one of the most violent cities in the Carribbean.
As for the election, please see my earlier post in reply to Jean Poincy to
see how I feel about it.

Thank you for your reply and I look forward to reading more from you and
others.

Emmanuelle A. Zennie

P.S. You called me Mr Zennie, but Emmanuelle A. Zennie is in fact a 22 yr
old female microbiology student :-) so it's really Ms. Zennie.