[News] Haitian Police Open Fire on Nonviolent Demostrators

[News at freedomarchives.org]

A March for Democracy
Haitian Police Open Fire on Nonviolent Demostrators
By BILL QUIGLEY
Port-au-Prince,  Haiti
One year ago today, the elected government  of Haiti, led by President Jean 
Betrand Aristide, was forced  out of office and replaced by unlected people 
more satisfactory  to business interests and the US, France and Canada.

Today there was a large nonviolent March for Democracy called for the 
neighborhood of Bel-Air (Beautiful Air). I attended  with Pere Gerard 
Jean-Juste and others from St. Clare's Parish.  We started with prayers in 
the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual  Help in the center of Bel Air. After 
prayers we joined the larger  crowd outside marching and singing through 
the streets of the  old and quite poor neighborhood. Thousands of people 
were walking  and dancing to the beat of drums, loudly chanting, 
"Bring  Back Titi (Aristide)!!!!" in Creole, French and English.

Fr. Jean-Juste has become one of the main voices for democracy in Haiti 
since his release from prison several weeks ago after  48 days in jail with 
no charges. He was interviewed two dozen  times by local and international 
media during the walk with the  crowd. It all seemed like a peaceful 
unorganized mardi gras  parade until I noticed the Reuters correspondent 
was wearing  a bullet proof vest. MINUSTAH, the UN security presence 
was  all around. The giant moving party continued down Des Cesar 
Street.  The street was packed from side to side with people 
carrying  signs, umbrellas, and handmade cardboard posters all calling  for 
the return of democracy and Aristide. Neighborhood people joined in or 
clapped and danced from their front steps.

Suddenly, at the corner of Monsiegneur Guillot Street and Des Cesar, there 
was a loud boom from very close by. People started screaming and running. 
Another boom, then another. As people fled, I slipped on a pile of fruit 
and tried deperately to hide behind a very small tree. As people rushed 
past and dove into  an opening in a concrete wall, the booms continued. I 
then dove though the wall and hid behind a one foot wide concrete pillar. 
The booms continued. People were down in the street. I saw  a big white 
official looking truck hurtling down the street as  the booms continued. 
Others saw police in black uniforms, helmets, ski masks, and large guns 
shooting into the crowd. People around  me were huddled under stairs and 
crying. The group from St.  Clare's pulled me into a corner and we we 
rolled into a ball until the booms stopped.

Out on the street a man was down and unconscious. Fr. Jean-Juste knelt over 
him and prayed. Down the street others were carrying injured people on 
their backs. The crowd screamed that the police were coming back and we ran 
down an alley into a small home.  Children were screaming, adults were 
crying, everyone was in  fear. We waited, dirty and drenched in sweat, 
until the growing  UN presence made it safe to leave.

Early reports document several people shot, including journalists, at least 
one killed. Others were beaten. Two men showed me where the police wounded 
them.

As we drove slowly out of the now deserted neighborhood, the faces of the 
people on the porches who were so happy minutes before, were now somber, 
many crying.

As we rode back to his parish, Fr. Jean-Juste said: "The  Aristide 
supporters were such a big number, it was very difficult  to have a proper 
estimation of the crowd. The message is clear.  Our vote has been counted. 
It still must be counted. There  is no other way for Haiti to go forward 
but with the return of  constitutional order, the release of all political 
prisoners,  and the physical return of President Aristide."

Though the march for democracy in Haiti was halted by police shooting into 
the unarmed crowd, the people I talked to said their march for the return 
of democracy in Haiti will continue.

Bill Quigley is a law professor at Loyola University  New Orleans. He can 
be reached at quigley at loyno.edu

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20050301/8df0b3ec/attachment.htm>