[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
5874: Deportees and Violence in Haiti (Saint-Vil reponds to Williams) (fwd)
From: Jean Saint-Vil <jafrikayiti@hotmail.com>
Dennis Williams wrote : «Jafrikayiti claims that deportees are at the root
of crime in Haiti.Unfortunately, the facts don't bear this out»
No. I did not claim deportees from our friendly neighbors are at the root of
crime in Haiti. I said the deportees have been a significant contributor to
the changing nature of crime in Haiti. Everyone knows that before the
arrival of these deportees we had crime in Haiti.
Dennis Williams wrote : « Nearly all of them are in Haitian prisons.
They're taken there straight from the airport and there they stay. The
government claims that they are there until programs to integrate them into
the community can be set up. The deportees and their famlies claim that the
Minister of Justice is demanding large bribes for their release. I suspect
the latter is true, given Mr. Leblanc's reputation, but who knows?»
Your suspicion notwitstanding Mr. Williams, it seems to me that Chans
Altènativ (Alternative Chance) is one of these under-reported good news
where bon Ginen are working with bon Blan to bring about meaningful and
positive contributions to Haitian society. See the following link from the
Panos Inst. Website for a peak at a report titled : «Criminal Deportees and
Returned Teens - A Migration Phenomenon, a Social Problem». It seems to me,
thanks to positive programs such as Chans Altènativ, some of these deportees
are paradoxally leaving hell in the richest country in the world to
experience heaven, in the poorest of...(you know the song!).
Now, when the report was published, the author, Privat Precil, stressed the
fact that it is a misconception that all the deportees are killers and stats
are provided in the report to illustrate the fact that homicide only counted
for 3 out of the 202 criminal charges for which the 1998 deportees served
time in U.S. jail. However, when one looks at the pie chart showing 101
Dangerous drugs (possession or sale?) , 35 Assault or Weapons etc… and when
one considers that these deportees can be considered « high tech » compared
to those they meet in Haiti, can we know for sure how many of them may have
«upgraded» since 1998 and committed homicide in Haiti? You say they are
nearly all in jail, can someone confirm this with good and specific stats
please? Exactly, how many are in, how many are out, how many are doing well
in Chans Altènativ? Remember, there is no Rodolph Guliani operating in
Haiti. And it seems that the Human Rights organizations have greater
influence on the Haitian government than do the people. While the reverse is
true for the U.S. So the rights of these deportees, even in jail, may be
better protected than those of other Haitians in the general public or even
in the government itself.
Yes, Chans Altènativ is a wonderful initiative and it has certainly saved a
few of these deportees from persevering in a life of crime. In fact Haiti
have at times succeeded in saving some of these guys who would surely be
doomed if they stayed in the U.S. Prison industrial complex. However, how
many deportees chose instead to seize the opportunity to engage in more
sophisticated crime? Does anyone have 2000 numbers?
M. Williams also wrote : And let's keep in mind that we're talking about
only a few hundred deportees.
A few! A hundred in Haiti, where prisons are full of holes (physical and
others), is more than enough to severely affect the society. Especially,
when Haiti does not have the means to develop a prison industry such as the
vibrant one in place in all U.S. States. Furthermore, when one speaks of
Haiti, one should remember that a city, namely Port-au-Prince, is what we
are really talking about here.
No, the number of deportees is not relatively few. No, I never insisted
«that the crime wave is a result of the deportees?» I said it is a important
contributor. Not THE cause of. Perhaps the foreigners living in Haiti
have good reasons to have different fears than the Haitians living in Haiti.
In fact, as I compare what my relatives report to be their personal fears
with what you and other foeigners perceive to be your threat, I can easily
see that it is not the same demons that haunt us all - Haitians and «friends
of Haiti» and this is something we need to be always aware of.
Peace,
Jafrikayiti
«Mwen te bezwen sekirite ou fè m kado kriminèl, mèsi zanmi! Sen Jando 7
vèsè 12»
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com