Brief Thoughts on Haiti Present and Past
This is a picture of me with James Petit-Frère aka Billy, one of the original leaders of the so-called chimere, in 2002. Today, in 2024, I have seen multiple generations of young men sacrificed to Haiti’s gang life. Though this may be a hard sell at the moment, in a real sense, the members of Haiti’s armed groups are victims, too, failed by the state and by society as a whole, and they have a humanity we must all still try to connect to.
The reality of economic deprivation and exclusion in Haiti’s poorest neighborhoods and the complete impunity that the political and economic actors who exploit these young men - just look at the composition of the transitional council! - continue to enjoy must end if Haiti is to know peace. This is why I have tried to stress and continue to stress that an approach to armed groups operating in Haiti from only a military or security perspective is destined to fail. There must be a more holistic approach to the CONDITIONS that allow them to flourish in the first place.
One of the most sobering thoughts I have when I think about the gangs is that those who today are their leaders or foot soldiers were very young children or not even born when I started going to these neighborhoods. This should be the last generation whose potential is so wasted.