Tuesday, March 6, 2012

CITE SOLEIL MEDICAL CLINIC

Today we held a medical clinic in Cite Soleil with Dr. Ed's medical team from New Hampshire. They saw a lot of patients and Dr. Ed and his workers pulled a lot of teeth. We almost didn't go because of the unsettled situation that currently is in Cite Soleil. Yesterday, the Radio Boukman director was killed when bandits opened fire on the vehicle he was driving while in the Bwa Neuf area. This radio director is also director of programs for the NGO Hands Together. Father Tom is the american who founded this organization and many children in Cite Soleil attend schools because of his missions' efforts. The people of Cite Soleil respect him and the organization, but it looks like the bandits didn't respect his director. Several shots were fired and 3 people died that day. People in Cite Soleil, especially the Wharf area, arose in anger and protested on the streets. They blocked streets with rubble and expressed their anger. The police and UN controlled the situation.

This morning Willy called early in the morning to let us know that the situation was calm in the area where the clinic would be held, (at the church across from the lycee). Willy and Jacques met us at the entrance to Cite Soleil and we headed to the clinic site with all 3 vehicles staying together. Just after the team set up to start the clinic, we heard a group of people walking up the road. They were heading to the Bois Neuf area and some were armed with machetes and sticks. The strange thing is that these people were regular everyday citizens who didn't fit your typical bandit profile. It was sort of a festive environment. Later in the day we heard that when they reached Bois Neuf 3 of them were killed. The clinic day was a success and peaceful at the site and we were able to head home with no problems.

We often visit the wharf area and the people there have always been friendly to us. It is hard to understand how they can react with such anger. I too know people who live in the Bois Neuf area. Maries' sister lives in a tent camp there and she has been complaining about how bad the area has become. She fled the area with her 3 young children tonight because there are terrible things happening in Bois Neuf today. The Bois Neuf people are being accused of hiding the killers. The people seem to know who did the killing. They keep telling them, "where is Jackson and where is Watson". I guess these are the killers of the radio director. People are getting beaten, and attacked with machetes. Houses/shelters are being burned. The UN and Haitian police are near the road leading into Bois Neuf and are preventing groups from entering Bois Neuf by the road, but now the people of Ti-Ayiti and the wharf area are attacking by sea and going by boat to bypass the police and UN patrols. Chrismanie (Marie's sister), has a lot of sad things to say about the situation. People are getting killed and dumped in the "ragere". She has heard people say that the people of Bois Neuf are no good and that even women and children were going to be killed. Chrismanie and her 3 young children had a place to run to for shelter at our home, but what about the others? Pray that this situation can be controlled. The wrong people are being killed. It is people of one zone killing people in another zone just because that is where they live. Pray that the UN smartens up and does something.
Karen

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