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April Knutson, W A M M
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On June 6, 2005, one day before the bombings in London, more than 300 heavily armed United Nations “peacekeeping” forces killed at least 23 unarmed people in the densely populated Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Cité Soleil. Some estimates indicate that 50 or more may have died in the predawn raid by soldiers shooting automatic weapons from helicopters and tanks. This massacre was not reported in the mainstream media, and the daily outrages suffered by the Haitian people are not at all in view.
A year and a half after France and the United States joined forces to oust democratically elected President Aristide, Haiti is in chaos. When I visited Haiti early this summer, I was shocked at the deterioration of conditions since my last visit. The vast majority of people are living with no running water, no plumbing or electricity. Prices of basic foodstuffs have increased dramatically, along with the price of fuels. To add to this misery, people are living in fear for their lives, with trigger-happy UN forces and Haitian National Police patrolling the poorest neighborhoods and shooting at alleged “gang” leaders. Many women and children have also been injured and killed in these police operations.
A recent report by the Provisional Electoral Commission suggested that elections in Haiti might have to be postponed due to the lack of security in the country. Edwidge Danticat, respected Haitian-American author, noted in an article on July 18th that the first US. invasion of Haiti occurred on July 28, 1915. That time the U.S. stayed for 19 years. She warned that the justifications for that occupation echo the justifications used today: “rampant insecurity, proximity to U.S. shores and concern for American interests, fear of an exodus of boat people to Miami.” She adds, “Few Americans are aware that their country once occupied ours, and for such a long time. This is not surprising, for as one Haitian proverb suggests, while those who give the blows can easily forget, the ones who carry the scar have no choice but to remember.”
The United States announced on August 5th that it will provide the Haitian police (trained by U.S. Marines) with firearms and tear gas to aid the fight against militants trying to disrupt elections scheduled for October and November. Sound familiar?
The Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota will be scheduling events this fall to draw attention to the appalling conditions in Haiti and the U.S. role in the violence and misery. We meet the third Saturday of every month at the Resource Center of the Americas. Our website is www.haitijustice-mn.org.
April Knutson is a member of the Board of WAMM and a member of the Haiti Justice Committee.
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© 2005 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete September 2005 Index - click here
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