(Sorry, I didn't see your reply until now.) I would only do so sarcastically to mock Olds..t's racist rantings.
But what I, a sensible and intelligent and non-racist person, would call them is not the issue.
But, moving on......
Here is something from a Haitian lawyer, a woman, re: some of the news coverage.
Ezili Dantò's Note:
HLLN will not tolerate the maligning of the Haitian people.
We urge all in this Network please use some of these points made below to send
letters to MSNBC, Foxnews, Reuters, AP, CNN et al. Let them know you won't
tolerate the criminalizing of the good people of Haiti. Please send us a
letter we could circulate. Many hands make light a heavy load.
*****************************
To the Mr. Champagne
Re: Mr. Champagne's Haitian Lawyers Association letter dated Jan. 19 2010 and
copied below and made a part herein
Sir, in your letter dated January 19, 2019 to President Obama, you write, on
behalf of the Haitian Lawyers Association, inter alia, that your organization,
the Haitian Lawyers Association in Miami, Florida:
"urge the administration to address the rising lawlessness, created by the
criminals who have escaped Haiti's broken penitentiary. Not only does it
threaten the current humanitarian relief efforts, but it also unacceptably
increases the vulnerability of women and children, many of whom now orphans..
More should be done to curtail the lawlessness before it becomes
uncontrollable."
Point one: As lawyers and advocates who represented many of the detainees who
were in the National Penitentiary, we find your statements criminally
negligent, odious, irresponsible and not based on any verifiable facts. It is
a well-known fact, that most of those detainees you are depicting as "criminals
who escaped from the National Penitentiary were poor Haitians from poor
neighborhoods who were summarily rounded up into preventive or indefinite
detention during the 2004 Bush/Bicentennial coup d'etat without ever being
charged, tried or convicted of any crime. As of 2008, it is reported that there
were 8,204 prisoners in Haiti and of this only 1,764 have been convicted of a
crime. Of the 8,204, 3900 were warehoused at the National Penitentiary.
The majority awaiting charge and a hearing, some suffering five years of
prolonged detention, without ever having been charged, tried or convicted of
any crime. These prison population statistics come from the 2008 US State
Department Human Rights Report on Haiti and do "not include the large number of
persons held in police stations around the country in 'preventive detention'
(without a hearing or filed charges)."
For your legal association to call them "criminals" is unethical. For most were
indefinitely detained without any charges, hearing or trial and have never been
charged with a crime.
Point two: It is reported that when the earthquake hit, the wall of the
National Penitentiary collapse on these men, most of whom have suffered
tremendous injustice of indefinite incarceration without charge, and whose
wives, children, mothers and families lost valuable time they could have had
with their love one but for their unjust and illegal incarceration. Their
"escape" Mr. Champagne was when concrete fell on their heads!
There is NO EVIDENCE that these men are either criminals or committing crimes
right now.
We don't know how injured they were when the Penitentiary collapsed on them or
how many perished and for you to repeat, like a parrot, what you are hearing
from CNN, Fox news and MSNBS is unprofessional. As a legal organization you are
charged with knowing the law and speaking factually. This depiction is
objectionable also, especially as most reporters and even the general on the
ground have said there is no significant violence amongst the earthquake
wounded, thirsty and hungry. This idea of POTENTIAL violence, or as you put it
"the rising lawlessness, created by the criminals who have escaped Haiti's
broken penitentiary" is defamation and libel against people who are not here to
defend themselves but HLLN is and we demand a retraction.
Point three: HLLN runs the Ezili Danto Witness Project and we have people on
the ground in Haiti. Their first hand account of the current situation is that
a natural disaster of epic proportion has hit the poorest of the poor and they
are wounded, hungry, hurt, traumatized and most without food, clean water and
medical treatment since last Tuesday. For you Mr. Richard to criminalize and
vilified these people at such a time is repugnant. The people of Haiti are not
violent or naturally prone to lawlessness. The US is statistically more violent
than Haiti and the only times, in the past 20 years, that the violence in
Haiti increases is when the US supports death squads and regime change that
massacre the poor.
Point four: Haiti needs conscious disaster relief with human rights and
dignity, it does not need your propaganda Mr. Champagne alleging the innate
violence of people who were not ever committed of any crimes. Medical relief,
food, shelter and water are its priority right now, not 12,000-pentagon gun ,
to, as you write "curtail the lawlessness before it becomes uncontrollable."
This projection of fear is arbitrary and capricious Mr. Champagne.
Here are two reports that contradict your irresponsible assertions about the
current situation in Haiti:
1. Doctor: Misinformation and Racism Have Frozen Recovery Effort at General
Hospital in Port-au-Prince |
http://bit.ly/7zZ4gu“There are no security issues,” says Dr. Evan Lyon of Partners in Health,
reporting from the General Hospital in Port-Au-Prince in Haiti, where 1,000
people are in need of operations. Lyon said the reports of violence in the city
have been overblown by the media and have affected the delivery of aid and
medical services.
http://bit.ly/7zZ4gu2. Tell CNN to stop hyping fears of violence in Haiti. For shame at
http://bit.ly/6bXnPzHLLN is working at over capacity right now.
But, we are prepared to provide testimony, including from some who were held
indefinitely, detained without ever having been convicted or charged with a
crime, and who are now seriously injured and dying and who you are maligning.
Their survivors are ready for a class action suit against the media and you and
your organization, Mr. Richard, to take all to court for this
vilification/defamation. As HLLN is working over capacity, we are prepared to
make a general call to human rights attorneys who wish to assist should your
organization not make a retraction IMMEDIATELY.
This letter will go public - on facebook, twitter, our blogs and all the social
networks and to the Ezili Listserve. We are hereby asking civil rights and
human rights lawyers who would like to assist the earthquake victims to help
HLLN stop the maligning and criminalization of the people of Haiti and
anticipate your retraction within the next 3 days.
Very Truly Yours,
Ezili Dantò
Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
Author
