Haitian-American Legislators Demand US Aid
Gerard Cadet of Little Haiti BK addresses the crowd at City Hall. Source: Sophia Moore.
Haitian-American legislators demanded that the U.S. Government condemn gang violence in Haiti as terrorism, at a press conference at New York City Hall on Thursday.
“1,500 miles away, there is a genocide taking place,” said Farah N. Lewis, council member of the 45th district in Brooklyn. “Americans can’t afford to have another incident on our hands. The time to act is now and is also already behind us.”
Lewis, a first-generation Haitian American and chair of the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON), was referring to recent intense gang violence, a cholera epidemic, and an end to fuel subsidies that many on the island nation depend upon.
She and other officials present called on President Joe Biden to implement three specific action items immediately: impose economic sanctions upon and withdraw support from Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s government, create a Hatian-American envoy, and designate gang actors as terrorists.
Haitians have been suffering under a barrage of human rights violations committed by gangs, including kidnappings, rapes, public executions, and nearly 500 other killings, according to a press release from Louis’ office. Several speakers noted that hardship on the island, the first free Black republic, is nothing new.
“There is no reason that generations of Haitians have suffered in extreme poverty and lived in subhuman conditions,” said Marie Cerat of the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute. “Gang proliferation crippling Haiti, crippling its economy, is caused by decades of mismanagement and crisis both internally and externally.”
The call on the U.S. government to aid Haiti was viewed as a simple act of reciprocity by several present, including Gerard Cadet, executive director of Little Haiti BK. He invoked the aid of Haitian soldiers during the American Revolutionary War, Haiti’s role in the United States’ purchase of Louisiana from France, and Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, Chicago’s Haitian founder, as examples. Others agreed American aid is long overdue.
“America is indebted to Haiti,” said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Rita Joseph, council member of the 40th District in Brooklyn, added that the United States has a “moral obligation to step up and assist Haiti.”
The crowd dispersed after the rally. Source: Sophia Moore.
The sense of urgency was palpable. “Biden, are you going to help our people or are you going to go down as another president who has allowed our country to go down in ruin?” asked Chi Ossé, council member of the 36th District in Brooklyn. Addressing several news cameras, Ossé said pointedly, “There is war right now on the streets of Port au Prince.”
Beyond the four action items, Cerat vocalized hope for a more stable future for Haiti, one in which Haitians can “thrive and succeed at home.” She called for a legitimate justice system, cessation of the illegal weapons trade, anti-gang programming for youth, fair wages, equitable share of resources, and solutions advanced by civil society organizations and supported by the people.
“To rebuild Haiti and offer hope, the multidimensional crisis suffocating Haitians must end,” said Cerat.
About 15 supporters stood on the steps of City Hall, with a small crowd observing from below. Similar events were held nationwide Thursday under the organization of U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida and NHAEON, including in Miami, Boston, and Elizabeth, N.J.