Gypsies, Thugs and Thieves

Note: I was supposed to post this last week but, some days, inexplicably, my server hates Blogger. So I changed a few verb tenses, cleaned it up a bit and posted what you'll read bellow. Still working on getting links in English.

Last week certainly lived up to it's full potential of madness and pain. Let me break it down for you:


Monday



Started off with a bang! No 1 Bank had live entertainment and fireworks. The police blocked off the streets, traffic was crazy, but mostly everybody was wondering WTF was going on.


From what I've pieced together, a man and a woman tried to cash a fake check in US dollars at the main branch, smack in the middle of The Golden Suburb. The man, rumor says, had already cashed a similar check the previous work day (Saturday?) and the bank teller was suspended.



So they were waiting for him. The bank security tried to detain him, he broke down the (front?) door, shots were fired, the police came. Both are under arrest but an unfortunate bystander was wounded to the shoulder.



Up to now, no official commentary from No 1 Bank's Management. Not surprising, nobody likes to explain anything in this country. This isn't the first time a spectacularly public crime has been hosted by No 1 Bank, either. Last time was back in 96 or something and there was a hostage situation, if I remember correctly.



No 1 Bank's arch-rival, No 2 Bank, must be enjoying this. Of course, this is nothing compared to the white-collar crime(s) being committed daily, I'm sure, at both banks.



Maybe I should take my money out of there...



Find out more here:

http://www.haitienmarche.com/sommaire.php (scroll down, Fr)

http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=44652 (Fr, again, sorry!)





Tuesday


By now, we all knew this week wasn't going anywhere good. Particularly since two events were converging : the Certificat (official 6th grade exam) and the Public Transportation Strike.



The result was chaos, as you might imagine. I was insanely late for work, no buses or taxi. I think most of those kids must have been late for the exam.



I understand the drivers frustration, the price of gas is insane: 95 went from 173 gourdes to 209 gourdes. 91 went from 171 gourdes to 205 gourdes. Diesel went from 103 gourdes to 109 gourdes. Only kérosène (used for lighting and cooking) hasn't moved.

The rise in gas prices comes on top of the whole license plate issue. (More on that later). The last time the prices went up, the government got envolved and fixed the fares. Some of it was normal, but some prices were insane. The negotiations included promises but I have not idea which; evidently, they weren't kept or we wouldn't be here...again.

Wednesday

Day two of the bus strike but the streets are so free that, as always, the population as adapted. I myself had to arrange a ride with a neighbor. Couldn't afford to be so late to work again.

I wonder how this turmoil will translate in the exam grades?
This wasn't the real news of the day. No, instead what really had people talking was the death of gang leader Yoyo Piman in a shoot out with the Police and the UN.

This 25 year-old thug was wanted for murder, kidnapping, rape, auto theft, among other things. The French wanted him because he's accused of killing a Haitian-French business man.

Besides the obvious reasons, this caused talk because people are a little torn over the whole UN envolvement. On the one-hand, one can't complain about them being passive anymore; on the other, the police still can't do it's job like a grown-up.

Either way, the kidnappings are still going on.

Read more here :

http://www.radiokiskeya.com/spip.php?article3761 (Fr)

http://www.hpnhaiti.info/SOCIETE/629.html (Fr)

Thursday

Foolishly, I thought it was all over. Nothing more to talk about this week.
Uh...not really. Because for the last week or so, Baby Doc has been in the news again. Apparently, some sort of statue is up in Switzerland and so a bank there is getting ready to hand over 7,6 million Swiss Francs to our dear former dictatorial heir.

People are not happy. Especially NGOs against corruption. Here, it's a split. Some don't care, Baby Doc is history (well, it's been 21 yrs). But on the other hand, what about all the people who died? or lost their land/business under his regime? Aren't they entitled to something?

I can't help but wonder how much road those millions would build. Roads it was Baby Doc's JOB to build after all.

I also think those NGOs are right to say that Swiss laws have to be changed. The one thing I cannot stand is for all these generations of criminals and murderers to leave here and just start a brand-new, quiet, prosperous, honest life elsewhere.

Ah, life just isn't fair is it? Never thought so.

Read more here:

http://alterpresse.org/spip.php?article6101 (Eng!)

Friday

By then, I just couldn't care anymore. Of course, most people were too distracted by the Gold Cup to care much one way or the other. Maybe I should do like them, and enjoy the massive amounts of electricity in ways other than worrying of my future.

Well, the work week did end on a sort of high note. The junior football league is whole once more.

[Note: in case you didn't know, the term "soccer" is considered an un-democratic abberation. So I don't use it. Ever]

The story speaks for itself but I really think, as I always do, that someone needs to teach officials and public figures in this country about the importance of good PR. And Spin. It's an urgent need. Really. Dumb statements like "they were probably kidnapped" (13 kids? really?) or "we got lost at the airport" (how does an accompanied group of minors do that, anyway?) just make you look like a fool.

Read more here:

http://www.radiokiskeya.com/spip.php?article3764 (Fr)

http://alterpresse.org/spip.php?article6105 (Eng)

And when the party's over...

I miss last month, I really do. Last month afforded me 10 solid days of denial. From the chocofest of Valentine's day to a two-day work week (finally Rinse-Repeat did something I can actually enjoy!), what's not to love. As a bonus, the Carnaval was even pretty and (somewhat) on schedule this year : streets full of costumes, inaugural ball on Saturday night at the Presidential Palace, beautifully decorated stands on the plazza, only a few dozens wounded (well, at least according to the police but whatever)...

But it's back to harsh reality ever since. And boy, do we have stuff on our plate!

The banking scandal is dead. It think I can say safely say that. After all the special commission said it interviewed dozens of people and found no proof of Whistleblower Senator's allegations that several senate members were bribed into voting the decree concerning Socabank.

That story is almost dead. The Senatorial Special Commission said it didn't find any proof. Are you surprised? Even better, Whistleblower might even get sued over this.

My take on this is simple: I think he told the truth. I just don't know why or for whom he did this. This is not a country were the truth is made public. I wonder who was coordinating this behind the scenes...

The new thing is that Rinse-Repeat is talking about amending the 1987 Constitution. And wouldn't you know it? The two main issues are citizenship and money.

Note : For those who don't know, the law doesn't allow double citizenship. But the Haitian diaspora (who, last year alone injected, some 1.65 billion U.S. dollars in this country, 77% of which went to food and lodging for the families receiving these transfers) is limited by this law and it's been talked about a lot, especially in the last 10 yrs or so.

Back to the story. The best part of this is that the law doesn't let us hold referendums. So basically, the gvt can do whatever they want to the Constitution and we, the citizens/electors/tax payers will just have to live with it.

So I might just wake up one day and discover that the deal is done and that the "haitian dollar" as ceased being fiction and turned into cold hard cash. Or that all my Canadian, US, French or whatever else friends and relatives will legally be Haitians too! Wonders never cease, I tell you.

All this is part of the great virtual reality show called Haitian Politics.

Real life, as I live it, is a little more basic.

Kidnappings are as popular and lucrative as ever. A friend of mine's mother was the victime of a kidnapping recently. Except this time, they broke into her house in the middle of the night and drove away with her in her own car. The initial ransom was $300,000 USD, I think. Her family negociated a drastically lower price and so now they are broke.

I was very surprised by this b&e technique but it turns out that this is the new modus operandi. Other people have been taken the same way. My aunt's neighborhood was ringing with gunshots recently. Luckily, the people ran away in the night and escaped their fate.

There's something incredibly scary about being attacked at night. This is blackout country, people. So if you have to run for your life, you'll probably have to do it in the pitch blackness. Unless it's around the full moon. Otherwise, zero artificial light. I know several people who've lived through this and they are scarred for life.

But being attacked and abducted day and night isn't the scarriest part. It's the rape and torture part that chill my blood. And the killings. Quite a few kidnappings have been reported on the news.

Recently, they found the victim's decomposing body in the water cistern of an empty house. The neighbors had smelled something rotten. There were also two men, bound and gaged inside the house. The dead man's family had paid twice, for a total of $34,000 USD. They still killed him.

Last night, another coworker was kidnapped. Asking price : $800,000 USD. There are several witnesses, she was with friends.

I'm torn between fear, anger and disgust. I can't be the only one who wonders why this isn't over yet? The UN are allegedly cleaning up the slums of gangs and criminals. And yet kidnappings have never stopped. It's going to be 4-5 years since this started and it only gets worse.

I don't sleep well at night. It's been a while since I had this problem. About six months, I would say. So I bought exercise DVDs and it helps. A little. I drink tea at night. I blog.

Except the problem doesn't go away, does it? I still have to go to work everyday. And come home everyday. And go to bed everyday. And hopefully wake up safe and sound, everyday.

And people get kidnapped and killed. Everyday.

P.S. Sorry the links are all in French, couldn't find them in English.