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- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Earthquake in Northern Haiti
An earthquake with 5.9 strength shook Haiti last evening.
The whole country felt it and buildings collapsed in northern Haiti
where as many as ten people may have died.
It was triggered on the Septantrional Fault Line that runs from
Eastern Cuba, along Haiti's Northern Coast, and into the Cibao in
the Dominican Republic.
Engineer Claude Preptit, a well-known Haitian expert on the subject,
gave a thorough update on Pi Lwen Pi Fon of Haitian Radio Vision 2000 with Taylor Rigaud,
as to what happened yesterday.
The earthquake that destroyed Cap-Haïtien in 1842 originated in that fault line.
It is important to explain that the Caribbean Plate is permanently stressed by the North American plate and the South American Plate!
Preptit stressed the shocking inability of the Haitian State to research such events, plan for them,
and institute the measures to educate the population re such seismic realities, and to impose anti-seismic
construction norms to strengthen buildings throughout Haiti.
It is as if the state learned nothing from the Earthquake of 2010 that physically destroyed a large part of Port-au-Prince,
and killed and maimed 300,000 people there!
U.S. Embassy Statement following the Earthquake
in Northern Haiti
The United States expresses its condolences and support to all of those in Haiti affected by the earthquake that struck the Artibonite, North and Northwest Departments on October 6. We continue to closely monitor the situation. The United States and Haiti are strategic partners and friends, and we stand ready to assist in the relief effort if requested.
St. Boniface Haiti Foundation Inaugurates
Infectious Disease and Emergency Care Center
Supported by USAID/ASHA Grant
Fond-des-Blancs, October 04, 2018 – U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison joined the Haitian Ministry of Health, the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to inaugurate the new Center for Infectious Disease and Emergency Care (CIDEC) in the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.
The center is a state-of-the-art 33-bed treatment facility that includes isolation wards to treat patients and protect the public from contagious diseases like cholera and tuberculosis. Since opening in March, the emergency wing has treated nearly 5,000 patients. The infectious disease wing has already successfully treated a case of diphtheria, a highly contagious and serious bacterial infection.
The construction of CIDEC was supported by a $500,000 from USAID’s Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA). ASHA provides assistance to schools, libraries, and medical centers; and most recently funded the construction of the new surgical ward at St. Boniface. This ward is the only fully functioning surgical center on Haiti’s southern peninsula that provides care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.
“Today’s inauguration highlights the partnership between the American people and the people of Haiti,” said Ambassador Sison. “This Center for Infectious Disease and Emergency Care will enable the amazing doctors, nurses, and technicians here to respond to public health emergencies and tackle the problem of tuberculosis in the region.”
Additional recipients of USAID/ASHA grants include St. Luke Foundation; Catholic Relief Services for equipment at Hospital St. Francois de Sales; Albert Schweitzer Hospital; and the International Child Care’s training center and inpatient childcare unit. Since 1979, ASHA grants have provided over $21 million to projects in Haiti.
The U.S Government, through USAID Haiti, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has had a longstanding partnership with St. Boniface Hospital. With USAID support, St. Boniface built the first program in Haiti to provide clinical and rehabilitative care to persons with spinal cord injuries. USAID Haiti also supported a training program for Haitian engineering technicians to fix and maintain life-saving biomedical equipment. Furthermore, in coordination with CDC and PEPFAR, USAID supported a maternal and child survival program. Separately, CDC and PEPFAR have provided technical and financial support since 2012, to St. Boniface through the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), to expand HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis services.
Haitians, immigration lawyers welcome ruling blocking Trump from ending TPS - for now
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES AND BRENDA MEDINA
The Miami Herald
Advocates for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Central American immigrants facing deportation from the United States said a California federal judge’s decision to temporarily block Trump administration plans to send them back home offers new hope — but also increased uncertainty.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction stopping the administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from terminating Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for immigrants from Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Sudan. The ruling affects over 300,000 people who, under the TPS program, have been allowed to live and work legally in the U.S. for decades after war or major natural disasters in their own countries.
“I’m happy to hear that there is still a possibility that the TPS could be extended. It gives us TPS holders hope,” Elva Castillo, 71, who immigrated from Nicaragua to Miami 21 years ago, said Thursday. “But it is important that we keep up the fight.”
Chen granted the injunction as part of a California lawsuit filed by lawyers on behalf of TPS recipients from the four countries who have U.S.-born children. Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and a private law firm sought the temporary injunction, arguing that the administration’s decision to end the program was motivated by racism and would adversely affect the immigrant families.
Some 19 states and 34 cities and counties filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the preliminary injunction, said Emi MacLean, co-legal director of NDLON.
“This is an extraordinary decision. It is the first time in the history of the TPS statute, a statute from 1990, that there has been a court-ordered halt for any TPS termination,” MacLean said Thursday, during a conference call held by the National TPS Alliance. “It is hugely important in terms of what is says about the Trump administration’s decision-making policies in the arena of immigration.”
She warned, however, that the decision is “preliminary and something we will need to continue to defend in the courts, in the streets and in Washington.”
As part of their arguments, MacLean and others cited the potential separation of families as well as President Donald Trump’s alleged reference in January to Haiti, El Salvador and some African nations as “s—hole countries.”
In the ruling, the judge said that “TPS beneficiaries and their children indisputably will suffer irreparable harm and great hardship.”
The ruling extends only for the duration of the California lawsuit. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Oct. 26. The government has said it will appeal the ruling. The Associated Press reported that Justice Department spokesman Devin O’Malley said the ruling “usurps the role of the executive branch.”
“The Justice Department completely rejects the notion that the White House or the Department of Homeland Security did anything improper. We will continue to fight for the integrity of our immigration laws and our national security,” O’Malley’s statement said, according to the AP report.
The judge had previously turned down a U.S. Justice Department request for dismissal of the lawsuit. He wrote in his ruling that the government “has failed to establish any real harm were the status quo (which has been in existence for as long as two decades) is maintained during the pendency of this litigation.”
Chen also said that evidence shows that the decision by acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke to change the criteria applied by prior administrations in deciding whether to continue or end TPS “may have been done in order to implement and justify a pre-ordained result desired by the White House.”
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, whose district includes a large concentration of Haitian-Americans, said she wasn’t surprised that the judge found “direct evidence of animus” in the Trump administration’s decision to end TPS.
“From the start of his administration, President Trump has made it more than clear, with his Muslim ban and more recently the inhumane treatment of migrant children, that people with brown skin are unwelcome here,” Wilson said. “It is incumbent upon us to do everything in our power to undo these racist acts.”
In Miami, Marleine Bastien, whose Family Action Network is a plaintiff in a suit filed in the Eastern District of New York on behalf of several South Florida Haitians enrolled in TPS, called the decision “sensible.” She said the news will bring hope to those in the program. TPS for Haiti is scheduled to end on July 22.
“I commend Judge Chen for his courage and thank him for the sigh of relief he brought to hundreds of thousands of families, including their American-born children, from the specter of family separation that loomed over them,” Bastien said. “Make no mistake, the Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS was based on racism and xenophobia.
“Our hope is that this decision will hold to allow us to continue our efforts toward a permanent solution for those 300,000 deserving families,” she said.
Miami immigration attorney Ira Kurzban, who is among the lawyers representing FANM and others, said he hopes the California ruling will have “a positive impact on our case, as it raises similar but not identical issues.”
The group most immediately impacted are Sudanese, whose protection was set to end Nov. 2, followed by Nicaraguans, who were set to lose TPS in January.
Ouanaminthe 7 people among whom 2 judges taken by a river in flood
At least 7 people died due flooding caused by the Canarie River, on Thursday evening, in the municipality of Ouanaminthe.
The situation was the result of pouring rains in Department of the Northeast. The tragedy created a panic within the population.
Among the victims were county court judges from of Port-au-Prince - Goldie and Ostwalde Joseph, who were overtaken by water as they tried to cross the cresting river.
2 Haitian-Quebecois received the highest distinction of Quebec in 2018
Rezo Nodwes
Established in 1984, the National Order of Quebec aims at highlighting the contribution of Quebecois toward the growth and evolution of Quebec.
The highest distinction granted by the government of Quebec was awarded this year to thirty-four personalities. Among them were two Quebecois of Haitian origin - Patrick Paultre, a specialist in earthquake-resistant engineering and Wilson Sanon, the founder of the Association of sickle-cell anemia of Quebec. This year, both of these individuals were honored as knights by the National Order of Quebec.
Wilson Sanon had four children, two of whom suffer from sickle-cell anemia – the most widely-spread genetic disease in the world. Sickle-cell anemia is nearly incurable, and affects the blood. After the death of his son Nicky, he saw it necessary to create the Association of Sickle-Cell Anemia of Quebec.
He has chaired over this body since its inception in 1999, and hasn’t stopped spreading its reach, by surrounding it with a team of volunteers and partners including the Foundation of the Medical Specialists Federation of Quebec, Héma-Québec, Novartis Oncology, Operation Enfant Soleil, www.passeportsante.net, and the Pfizer Corporation.
Patrick Paultre, on the other hand, has worked to insure greater structural and mechanical safety of buildings and other constructions. In 2001, this Quebecois of Haitian origin launched the Center of Inter-University Major Seismic Infrastructures of Quebec, which he managed in its early stages.
In 2006, he established another international organization: The Center of Inter-university Research of Structures Under Extreme Loads.
After the earthquake which destroyed Haiti, his native country, in 2010, he worked to upgrade the building codes for earthquake-resistant constructions, and provide the necessary training for civil engineers and architects.
Melania Trump Responds to Criticisms of "Colonial" Hat
by Katie Kilkenny
The Hollywood Reporter
Speaking to press in Egypt while finishing up her solo, four-country African tour on Saturday, the First Lady addressed the controversial white pith helmet she had worn while embarking on a safari in Nairobi National Park in Kenya. The hat piqued some observers, who noted that the helmet is frequently associated with European colonizers of Africa and India.
"You know what, we just completed an amazing trip. We went to Ghana, we went to Malawi, Kenya, here we are in Egypt. I want to talk about my trip and now what about what I wear," Trump told reporters. "It's very important what we do, what I'm doing with U.S. aid, and what I do with my initiatives, and I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear."
Her wish was not heeded on Saturday, when critics compared her menswear-inspired look to the outfit worn by Michael Jackson in the "Smooth Criminal" music video, the titular character in the Carmen Sandiego computer games and villains from the Indiana Jones films.
However, others noted that the menswear look was a pointed political statement in a country that has been ranked worst for women's rights out of all Arab nations. "For me this a fascinating fashion statement for a country with a very poor record on women’s rights. In the politics of fashion realm, she’s sending a message: Women are equal," CNN reporter Kate Bennett tweeted.
Just one day earlier, however, the white pith helmet attracted criticism from experts and Twitter alike, with St. Lawrence University historian and African Studies coordinator Matt Carotenuto comparing the look to "[showing] up on an Alabama cotton farm in a confederate uniform" in an interview with CNN.
Al Jazeera English journalist Hamza Mohamed, meanwhile, tweeted, "Melania Trump went on a safari in Kenya wearing a pith helmet - a symbol of European colonial rule across Africa."
It's hardly the first time the First Lady's clothing choice sparked widespread debate: Perhaps most notably, a Zara jacket emblazoned with the phrase "I really don't care, do u?" enraged many when Trump accompanied her husband on a trip to visit an immigrant children's detention center in Texas in June.
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- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
A Street named «Joseph Manno Charlemagne», in Florida...
In Florida, a street in North Miami will be named after the Haitian artist, Joseph Emmanuel Charlemagne. The inaugural ceremony was scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, 2019, on the occasion of the official launch of Haitian culture and heritage Month.
Joseph Manno Charlemagne Way, located in North Miami on 125th Street, the street honors the committed singer, who died two years ago in Florida. The resolution on this decision was introduced by the current North Miami Mayor, Dr. Smith Joseph before being adopted by the City Council.
North Miami elected officials, local residents, and Manno Charlemagne’s relatives were among those who participated in the ceremony.
“It is our way to honor this artist who marked his presence in Miami-Dade County,” said Mayor Smith Joseph, in an interview given to ISLANDTV, while highlighting the role played by Manno in the promotion of Haitian culture.
The name of Manno Charlemagne will be inscribed alongside those of the heroes of Haitian independence, who, according to the Florida legislature in 2004, enter the pantheon of fighters in the struggle for the abolition of slavery. This proposal was introduced by Rep. Philippe Brutus and approved by Governor Jeb Bush. Joseph Emmanuel Charlemagne died on December 10, 2017, from lung cancer at the age of 69. He left behind a discography full of committed music which, among other things, raisde the problem of inequality, imperialism, the poor working conditions of the workers...
LITTLE HAITI BOOK FAIR
In South Florida May is Haitian Heritage Month, and to kick off the month of events, Sunday was the Seventh Annual Little Haiti Book Festival. The festival took place at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Ter., Miami.
In Kreyol and English, authors from Haiti and the Haitian diaspora hosted literary panels, craft talks and workshops for writers, hands-on-activities for children, dance workshops, poetry, dance and music performances, and more. All of them were available to sign books. MJ Fievre is the Caribbean coordinator for the Miami book fair and urged non-Haitians to come out to the event.
"I believe the Little Haiti book festival is a great opportunity for anyone, not just people with Haitian ties, to discover aspects of Haiti that they may not know," Fievre said.
Organizers believe it is important for South Florida to learn positive attributes about Haitian culture, especially its impact and legacy to literature." We learn a lot in the media about the difficulties the Haitian community faces, and of course all those problems are true, but there is also an aspect of Haiti that is very often overlooked,” said Fievre.
Miami Book Fair partnered with Sosyete Koukouy of Miami, Inc., to present the Little Haiti Book Festival on Sunday, May 5, 2019. This book festival—a vibrant cultural exposure to writers, booksellers, performers, and more—is part of Miami Book Fair’s ReadCaribbean programming.
The event took place on at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59 Ter. Miami, and at Libreri Mapou, 5919 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL.
Group aims to build library in Cite Soleil in Haiti
A group raised $180,000 and 70,000 books to build a library in Cite Soleil, Haiti.
Montpellier – France: Nérilia Mondésir finally wins a professional contract
The former U-20 captain of Haitian football, Nérilia Mondésir, has moved to full professional status at the Montpellier Hérault Sport Club.
After 2 years of training, the striker and ex-Tigress has thus become the first Haitian to reach this rank in Europe.
According to the president of the Haitian Football Federation (FHF), Yves «Dadou» Jean-Bart, the contract was signed in January, but the information was not made public.
Jean-Bart also did not reveal the amount that the talented athlete will earn from this 3-year contract.
The gang leader "Tije" of Savane Pistache killed in Delmas 83 in an operation of the PNH
HPN - The powerful gang leader accused of having perpetrated the massacre of Carrefour Feuilles (at least 8 dead), a large working-class district located southeast of the capital, was reportedly shot dead during an operation carried out on Monday evening in the commune of Delmas.
In a recent interview with a radio station in Port au Prince, "Tije" revealed his role in the attacks of Carrefour Leafs, which had left more than eight dead and about 20 injured, a situation that revolted citizens. Tije, it should be stressed, had indicated that there would be other gang leaders even after his death, because some senior state officials use them for political purposes.
Two Faculty of Medicine professors decorated with the Order of Montreal badge
Two professors from the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal have been appointed to the Order of Montreal. Professors Trang Hoang and Jean-Claude Fouron were awarded the title of Commander, the highest in the Order.
Trang Hoang: leader in the fight against leukemia
Trang Hoang is a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at UdeM and she co-founded with six colleagues the Institute of Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the University, where she heads the hematopoiesis and leukemia research laboratory.
Jean-Claude Fouron: Pioneer of fetal cardiology
A pediatric cardiologist at Sainte Justine University Hospital for nearly 50 years, Jean-Claude Fouron is a pioneer in fetal cardiology. Originally from Haiti, he arrived in Quebec in 1960, and founded the first fetal cardiology unit in Canada in 1989. He is known for his pioneering work on the functioning and disorders of the fetal and neonatal cardio circulatory system, including those caused by malformations, arrhythmia and placental circulatory insufficiency. Dr Fouron’s achievements have been instrumental in advancing his discipline, reducing maternal and child mortality, and improving specialized ultrasound services.
Professor Emeritus of the Department of Pediatrics at UdeM and renowned researcher, Jean-Claude Fouron has always had at heart, a clear teaching rhythm, through exchanges, rigorous research and communication all with finesse and humor.
His recognition as an international authority in his field made the name of Montreal and his eponymous university shine.
Dr. Fouron is an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec, a Member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Charles Biddle Award and the Grand Prix of the Collège des médecins du Québec.
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- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Wycleff Jean Earns receives an honorary doctorate degree
The Haitian singer, guitarist, producer and actor Wyclef Jean has just taken another step in his great international career. On May 18, the former Fugees member was awarded the title of Doctor of Music by Five Towns College located in Ten Hills, Long Island, New York.
The native of Croix-des-Bouquets made the announcement via his Twitter account. Today, on the occasion of the celebration of Haitian bicolor, I became doctor of music. It was an honor to be recognized by the college I attended in the early years of my life,” he wrote.
Wyclef Jean, 49, immigrated with his parents to the United States at the age of ten.
IN NEW YORK, CREOLE IS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
In New York, Creole is one of the six languages officially spoken in institutions since the beginning of the year.
Since January 1st, 2009, Creole is officially spoken in all of the institutions of New York. The Bloomberg administration adapted itself to this reality by recognizing Creole as one of the six the most used languages in the city. Creole speakers are indeed part of 25 % of New Yorker whose native language is not English, and among the 1.8 million people who have not yet mastered English, according to the site Grioo.com.
Originally, an order signed by former New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, in July, 2008, officially recognized six languages, widely spoken in the Big Apple, and granted them justifiable status within the administration. "Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian and French Creole," as it is read on the Internet portal of New York City. This is significant because Creole is recognized as a language in New York and a means of communication in the public places. It should be highlighted that French was not included as one of the six languages. Because New York City is home to so many Creole speakers, it became natural for Haitian Creole to become recognized as of one of the city’s six most widely-spoken languages.
Consequently, all municipal agencies are now obligated to have at least one employee who is fluent in Creole, and who can assist Creole speakers in translate the information. Forms, official documents, inspection reports, must also be available in Creole.
Canada: A Haitian woman was named one of the 100 black women to follow in 2019
Journalist and reporter for Téléjournal Ontario, Francesca Mérentié Cinéas, who arrived in Canada after the earthquake of January 12, 2010, was ranked among the 100 black women to follow in Canada in 2019.
The “Top 100 black women to watch in Canada” award, created by the Canadian Black International Event platform, recognizes women who have marked their generation by the quality of their work and their talent.
This is not Francesca M. Cinéas’ first recognition by this organization. In 2016, she was nominated for another important award, Michaëlle Jean, the former Governor of Canada who is also from of Haitian origin, became the recipient.
Cinéas is a host from Radio Ibo, in Haiti. A comedian and a reporter Cinéas first worked at Television Franco-ontarienne in Canada, from 2013 to 2018, as a program host for youth aged 9 to 12. She then joined the Canada Radio newsroom in October 2018 where she did the weather.
Opioid-dealing doctor with connections to Haiti, Mexico and Miami-Dade now a fugitive
Miami Herald - April 24, 2019 11:07 AM, Updated April 27, 2019 07:40 PM
More than a half-million people died from opioids between 2000 and 2015. Today, opioid deaths are considered an epidemic. To understand the struggle of a drug addiction, we take a closer look at what happens to the body. By
THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: A review of Jeanne Germeil’s bond papers says, if Germeil remains a fugitive, three individuals will be on the hook for $250,000 -- husband Jean Rene Foureau, daughter Naela Foureau and family friend Jan-Yves Woel.
Before her scheduled sentencing in federal court for distributing a controlled substance, North Miami Beach doctor Jeanne Germeil declared in an email to the Miami Herald, “I will not obey an unjust and racist system!”
And, April 19, Germeil backed up that declaration — she didn’t show up for her sentencing.
That triggered an order from Judge Ursula Ungaro that read, “The defendant is hereby transferred to the Clerk’s suspended/fugitive file until such time as the fugitive(s) are apprehended.”
One of Germeil’s federal public defenders, Daniel Ecarius, would only say via email Tuesday that she had not appeared since Ungaro declared her a fugitive.
Germeil, 55, has been out of jail since posting $250,000 bond six days after her Sept. 21, 2018, indictment on 16 counts of distributing a controlled substance. She had to give up her passport and could travel without special permission only to the U.S. District Court’s Southern and Middle Districts of Florida.
But, as one of the nation’s identity theft capitals, South Florida’s also a place where faux identification can be bought as readily as anywhere. Germeil wouldn’t be the first federal bond jumper to get out of the country.
Most fugitives wind up in areas familiar to them. Germeil was born in Haiti, and attended medical school in Mexico. Her registered address with the Florida Department of Health is in Aventura and Germeil Medical, the clinic where she prescribed the opioids, was in North Miami Beach.
Court documents say the home she had to be in from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily under terms of her bond was in Naples.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage says Beaufort County, S.C. saw about 20 opioid drug overdoses in January and February 2019. "It's a public safety issue, it's a public health issue," he said.
By
According to the Florida Department of Health, Germeil had been in practice since 1995 and licensed in Florida since 2007. The Department of Health dropped an emergency suspension order on her license last week because of the federal court conviction.
In 2017, she paid a total of $12,895 and had to complete a medical records course after a case that was a microcosm of her federal case, prescribing opioids with inadequate examination.
Jurors found Germeil guilty on 11 counts in February after prosecutors presented evidence she, among other actions, prescribed opioid pain medications at a rate of 687.95 prescriptions a month, a rate too high for actual diagnosis.
Her April 10 email to the Miami Herald declared her prosecution and conviction a product of misogyny, racism and a jury trial rigged against her defense team.
It ended with: “I am through playing it fair while the opposing party had been cheating left and right without consequences. I know they will label me and harass my daughter as they are already doing. However that justice system is rigged against people like me. Colored, Haitian, successful female physician. Enough is enough! They will get my corpse. I will not obey an unjust and racist system!”
Since 1989, David J. Neal’s domain at the Miami Herald has expanded to include writing about Panthers (NHL and FIU), Dolphins, old school animation, food safety, fraud, naughty lawyers, bad doctors and all manner of breaking news. He drinks coladas whole. He does not work Indianapolis 500 Race Day.
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Dear Friends and Neighbors, The “Eastside Ridge” Special Area Plan (SAP) goes before the Planning and Zoning board once again tonight, Wednesday, May 15, 2019, @ 6:30 pm at Miami City Hall. It is item number 2 on the agenda. Information about the project: • Redesign of Design Place, 22.47 acres of land. • 3,157 residential units. • 418 hotel rooms. • 5,246 parking spaces. • 5,400,902 sq ft of total development, can build up to 20 stories (28 if they build a train station). • Currently, approximately 500 families live there. • They are not proposing any on-site affordable housing, only 10% workforce units. The Little Haiti community is exhausted by the onslaught of large scale development in its neighborhood. While most people have been consumed by the Magic City SAP being proposed less than 10 blocks north of this project, this project has largely flown under the radar, catching most people by surprise. While the attorney had been in the process of scheduling a community meeting with 30 groups earlier this year, we did not hear back from her on scheduling since March 1st. Perhaps they were hoping that the attention on Magic City would allow this project to pass through this board without much noise. It seems they are treating this step like a rubber stamp. You should not let them do so. Many of the concerns raised by the PZAB in the past have not been addressed: • There is still no on-site affordable housing, and the 10% workforce units they are proposed are hugely inadequate, given that the population of the surrounding neighborhood is very low income. • We all know that workforce housing is inadequate unless there is a maximum of 80-100% AMI place on those units. Otherwise, the workforce units themselves will be priced at higher than the current market rate. • At this rate, households currently living on the property will not be able to afford to live there beyond the 1 year reprieve the developers are giving them. They would effectively be displacing 500 households from units that are presently priced higher than what the median income for the area can afford, but attainable for workforce incomes ($1,300-1,700 for 1-3 bedroom units). • They are providing a “Capital Contribution” of $10M that is meant to cover all community benefits, including construction of off-site affordable housing. If we were to receive all of this money at once (which we will not, as the payment is structured) and spend it all on housing units, it would only amount to 50 units. This is not charity, though they will paint it as such. They stand to gain a lot more than they are giving. But aside from the paltry benefits they are offering (especially compared to their astronomical profit margin), this is just a bad project for Little Haiti and Miami in general. Eastside Ridge’s proposed Special Area Plan is grossly out of proportion with the surrounding neighborhood. The request is excessively above and beyond the current land use and zoning regulations for the area. If approved, particularly in conjunction with the other large-scale SAP applications that are pending in the immediate vicinity, this project will be detrimental to the existing residents and businesses of the area. Traffic is going to be unmanageable. The traffic study they provided is from 2016 and does not take into consideration surrounding development - in particular the other SAPs proposed in the near vicinity. Should not be relied upon. There is virtually no chance that the train station will materialize. Even in the tentative plans that exist for a commuter rail, there will likely be stations at Design District and 79th Street. The reference to a train station is misleading. This New York-based developer has a history of racial discrimination as a landlord. They have been sued twice for fair housing violations just in the Design Place neighborhood, to say nothing of what their record may have been in New York. We need to get a sense of what the environmental impacts of this project will be. In particular, lack of inclusive housing all but assures displacement of people from what is relatively higher ground to areas that may be more climate vulnerable. This is regressive and wrong. Owner has had this property for decades. This rezoning will put tens of millions dollars in their pockets the moment the SAP rezoning is approved, at the expense of the surrounding community. Come tonight at 6:30 p.m. to make your voice heard!
FANM| 305-756-8050 | 100 NE 84th ST, Miami, FL 33138 | www.fanm.org |
Hundreds of migrants to be flown to California in as many as 3 flights a week, officials say
Fox News
Hundreds of migrant families will be flown to California in as many as three flights a week as U.S. Border Patrol agents continue to struggle with the growing number of illegals crossing into the U.S., officials said.
Flights carrying 120 to 135 people were set to begin flying Friday to San Diego from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and would continue to do so indefinitely, Border Patrol's interim San Diego sector chief Douglas Harrison said.
Harrison called it a “contingency operation” that would see at least three flights a week making the trip. Each flight would cost the government around $6,000, officials said.
SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN: EVERY TOWN IS A BORDER TOWN UNTIL WE SECURE THE SOUTHERN BORDER
“We don’t have an end date,” he said. “We’ve got to give the people in Rio Grande Valley some relief.”
Once taken in at the border, migrants will go through processing where their biographical information will be collected. They will then go through a medical screening before being placed on a flight to San Diego International Airport where they will be transported to a Border Patrol Station upon arrival. There, they will be fingerprinted and interviewed and subject to a second medical screening.
The process of screening and interviewing one person typically takes several hours. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will decide whether to release or detain the families in San Diego.
Border arrests have skyrocketed since Oct. 1, having reached a record 520,000, the highest in a decade, and on average agents make around 4,500 arrests a day, Reuters reported. The Rio Grande Valley, with nearly 8,000 people in detention, is by far the busiest charter followed by El Paso.
Officials have said they are also considering similar flights to Detroit, Miami and Buffalo, N.Y.
Taiwan becomes first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage
By Nick Aspinwall
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Thousands of marriage-equality advocates celebrated Friday in the pouring rain outside Taiwan’s legislature as it voted to become the first in Asia to fully legalize same-sex unions.
The law — which allows for same-sex couples to apply for “marriage registration” as part of “exclusive permanent unions” — came a week before Taiwan’s codes barring same-sex marriage would have been automatically dropped by court order.
Lawmakers had faced pressure from LGBT groups demanding sweeping changes and from religious groups and others opposing the changes. Friday’s 66-to-27 vote recognizes same-sex marriages and gives couples many of the tax, insurance and child-custody benefits available to male-female married couples.
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- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
TRAGEDY
Three Little Haiti soccer players killed in crash
NORTH MIAMI, Fla. - It's been a tough weekend for teammates and close friends of three soccer players who tragically died Saturday morning. Those three boys were supposed to play soccer at a park in Little Haiti on Sunday, but now close friends are remembering three young lives cut way too short.
"It's really sad they had to die this way," said Julien Pierre-Louis, a friend of the victims. "I tried to be a man about it, but like 30 minutes after that, I cried like a little baby."
Julien has known 17-year-old Richecarde Dumay since they were in middle school. He said not only did they play soccer together, but they were best friends who were always there for one another.
"I've been through a lot myself. He was always ready to help me out," Julien said. "He put me before himself, and I really appreciate that. I wish I could have told him that before he was gone."
The pair also went to Miami Edison Senior High School. The school tweeted a picture of Richecarde, saying they lost a very good football player. Community activist Luther "Luke" Campbell also tweeted a video of what he said was Richecarde's last kick.
Richecarde, along with 13-year-old Gideon Desir and 15-year-old Lens Desir, was walking on the sidewalk heading westbound along Northeast 125th Street sometime after 5 a.m. Saturday to catch a bus so that they could attend a soccer tournament in Weston. It was at that point the driver of an SUV barreled right into them.
"It appears as through the driver of the vehicle lost control of the vehicle and somehow went on the sidewalk and struck the kids," said Officer Natalie Buissereth, a spokeswoman for the North Miami Police Department.
The boys were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the SUV was taken to a hospital in serious condition. It's unclear what caused the crash.
Meanwhile, family and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the boys' funeral expenses.
Just hours later after their tournament, fellow teammates were given the devastating news. Grief counselors and pastors were on hand to help them cope with such a heartbreaking loss.
"They were very sad. They were hurting, crying," Pastor Mike Davis said.
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY for Klaus and Emeline.
Klaus and Emeline are thrilled to announce that Trinity Theological Seminary of South Florida selections comitee has chosen them to receive an honorary doctoral degree “Doctor of Minisry” for their contribution to mankind through their Community Thanksgiving Brunch event.
The honorary degree will be conferred on May 25th at Greater Bethel American Church, located at 405 NW 3RD Avenue, Pompano Beach. There will be an Alumni dinner immediately following the graduation ceremony.
Klaus ad Emeline Schulz are excited and humbled by this.
OPIC Acting President & CEO Bohigian Leads Delegation to Haiti
May 21, 2019
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – David Bohigian, Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, today visited Haiti, where he met with President Jovenel Moise and other senior government officials including Prime Minister Designate Jean Michel Lapin, Foreign Minister Bocchit Edmond, Minister of Finance Ronald Decembre, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Haiti (BRH), Jean Baden Dubois, to promote U.S. investment and discuss enhanced security cooperation.
While in Haiti, Bohigian signed a $19.5 million financing agreement to support the expansion of Fatima Group’s future Marriott Hotel in Cap Haitien which will bolster economic activity and jobs in the city. He also led roundtables with local business leaders to discuss investment opportunities, highlight how OPIC supports private sector investment in emerging markets, and outline its priorities in the Caribbean including energy as well as agriculture and projects that empower women entrepreneurs.
“Haiti represents both a great need for investment and a promising opportunity for investors,” said Bohigian. “By working with our partners in Haiti to drive high-impact solutions to longstanding development challenges, OPIC seeks to foster prosperity, stability, and security in Haiti and beyond.”
Bohigian is leading a high-level OPIC delegation to the Caribbean to explore investment opportunities in energy and other critical sectors, and strengthen relationships with countries who are key partners in fostering stability and security in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is the third stop on a five-country tour of the Caribbean that has included stops in the Bahamas and Jamaica, and will continue to the Dominican Republic and St. Lucia.
OPIC’s current portfolio in the Caribbean totals more than $250 million, including nearly $35 million in Haiti across a variety of projects in sectors ranging from housing and construction to food production.
At a meeting with Caribbean leaders to discuss trade, energy investment, and security concerns, President Trump in March reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to working with its partners in the region to foster economic growth, counter predatory investment practices, and strengthen security cooperation.
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The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is a self-sustaining U.S. Government agency that helps American businesses invest in emerging markets. Established in 1971, OPIC provides businesses with the tools to manage the risks associated with foreign direct investment, fosters economic development in emerging market countries, and advances U.S. foreign policy and national security priorities.
OPIC helps American businesses gain footholds in new markets, catalyzes new revenues and contributes to jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC fulfills its mission by providing businesses with financing, political risk insurance, advocacy and by partnering with private equity fund managers.
OPIC services are available to new and expanding businesses planning to invest in more than 160 countries worldwide. Because OPIC charges market-based fees for its products, it operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to taxpayers. All OPIC projects must adhere to best international practices and cannot cause job loss in the United States.
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Family Action Network Movement (FANM)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rhenie Dalger
Phone: 305-756-8050
Email:
FANM Urges Congress to Pass the Dream and Promise Act
The Dream Act and Promise Act will give permanent protections for recipients of TPS, DED, and those eligible for DACA
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary tomorrow will markup H.R. 2820 and H.R. 2821, which are legislations that together offer a path to citizenship to Dreamers and beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). Marleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement (FANM) issued the following statement:
“The Dream and Promise Act of 2019 would grant young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, including those shielded from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an opportunity to acquire full U.S. permanent residency if they meet certain requirements. Additionally, the bill would allow hundreds of thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients — as well as Liberian immigrants covered by Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) — to gain permanent lawful status.
These bills are a great step toward finding a permanent solution for these deserving families. They will provide protection to the well-deserved and hardworking taxpayers. They will trailblaze a path to permanent residency for thousands of TPS, DACA and DED recipients. FANM is committed to the passage of this bill into law. The Dream and Promise Act will give TPS and DACA recipients a safe haven in the U.S. where they have established their lives by contributing to our economy and our communities.”
FANM's mission is to empower low to moderate income families socially, financially, and politically and to give them the tools to transform their communities.
‘Even Young Children Were Not Spared.’ Haiti Police Describe Massacre In La Saline
By JACQUELINE CHARLES • MAY 16, 2019
- DIEU NALIO CHERY / ASSOCIATED PRESS
It is one of Haiti’s most violent and impoverished neighborhoods, a no-go zone next to the Haitian Parliament that has become ground zero in a resurgence of gang-related and possibly politically motivated violence.
Now six months after dozens of people were tortured and killed in the worst massacre in Haiti in more than a decade, an internal Haiti police investigation report obtained by the Miami Herald provides the first official account of some of the atrocities that occurred in Port-au-Prince’s La Saline neighborhood during four days of carnage in mid-November.
During that period, Nov. 13-17, men, women and even children as young as 4 were shot to death, their bodies then fed to dogs and pigs. Women were raped and set on fire, as was a police officer, Juwon Durosier. The culprits: bandits tied to gang conflicts over control of a sprawling outdoor market where protection rackets are the norm, but also guns-for-hire by powerful politicians and well-heeled businessmen seeking to control votes in the run-up to upcoming legislative and mayoral elections.
“Among other things that show the cruelty of the killers is the murder of infants such as Geralson Belance, a baby of only 10 months old, who was cowardly lynched and whose remains were taken away in a sack by his killers,” police said.
Testimony from scores of other victims and their close relatives, compiled during the investigation carried out by the judicial police’s Bureau of Criminal Affairs, paints an equally disturbing image of the depths of the atrocities, which have been the subject of several human-rights investigations in Haiti but, so far, have resulted in little accountability from the government.
Monsanto’s Toxic Chemical Glyphosate Found In 100% Of California Wines Tested
New Study Finds Alcohol & Wine is Filled with Glyphosate
It seems Monsanto’s toxic chemical glyphosate has now found its way into wine. It isn’t surprising, however, seeing as how grapes are pesticide and herbicide-laden.
Glyphosate has been showing up in foods both directly sprayed, and even foods that haven’t been sprayed, such as organic produce. It is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, and has been used since 1974.
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
U.S. Requiring Social Media Informations from Visa applicants
- June 2, 2019
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- NEW YORK TIMES - Visa applicants to the United States are required to submit any information about social media accounts they have used in the past five years under a State Department policy that started on Friday.
Such account information would give the government access to photos, locations, dates of birth, dates of milestones and other personal data commonly shared on social media.
“We already request certain contact information, travel history, family member information, and previous addresses from all visa applicants,” the State Department said in a statement. “We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”
In March 2017, President Trump asked the secretary of state, the attorney general, the secretary of homeland security and the director of national intelligence to put in effect “a uniform baseline for screening and vetting standards and procedures,” according to a memo published in the Federal Register. Requiring information about the social media accounts of visa applicants was part of that.
The move represents a step up from a September 2017 measure in which the Homeland Security Department proposed and enacted a regulation calling for the surveillance of social media use of all immigrants, including naturalized citizens. During the Obama administration, the State Department began to ask visa applicants to voluntarily submit their social media information.
“This seems to be part and parcel of the same effort to have an extraordinary broad surveillance of citizens and noncitizens,” Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School, said on Sunday of the latest development. “Given the scope of the surveillance efforts, it is hard to find a rational basis for the broad surveillance the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security have been doing for almost two years.”
The added requirement could dissuade visa applicants, who may see it as a psychological barrier to enter the United States.
“This is a dangerous and problematic proposal, which does nothing to protect security concerns but raises significant privacy concerns and First Amendment issues for citizens and immigrants,” Hina Shamsi, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, said on Sunday. “Research shows that this kind of monitoring has chilling effects, meaning that people are less likely to speak freely and connect with each other in online communities that are now essential to modern life.”
The social media web today is a map of our contacts, associations, habits and preferences. This kind of requirement will result in suspicion of surveillance of travelers and their networks of friends, families and business associates, Ms. Shamsi said, adding that the government had failed to explain how it would use this information.
Further, the government has been unable to prove that social media can provide reliable indications that identify a security threat, she said.
“In the absence of any such indicators, what we’ve seen domestically and abroad is government officials penalizing people’s speech, religious affiliation and other conduct,” she said.
Haitian senators ransack Parliament in failed effort to ratify a new government
MAY 30, 2019
PORT-AU-PRINCE
Haiti’s third attempt to ratify a new government and prime minister ended in chaos Thursday, when a vote in the country’s Senate was interrupted as four opposition senators ransacked the chamber — dragging chairs, desks and other furniture onto the lawn — and police fired tear gas at protesters.
The act was captured on video in front of Parliament security and Haiti National Police officers, who had been called to beef up security for Thursday’s vote. The vandalism was immediately condemned by the United Nations, U.S., Canada and others in the international community.
“These deplorable events go against democratic principles,” Canada’s ambassador in Haiti Andre Frenette tweeted. “Canada is calling for a national dialogue aiming at solutions to the security, economic and social crisis that is affecting the Haitian population.”
Haiti has been without a working government for more than two months, costing the impoverished nation more than $120 million in aid from international financial institutions aimed at helping the country prepare for the upcoming hurricane season and shore up a rapidly deteriorating economy.
It was the country’s third attempt to ratify a new government and confirm nominated Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin after the Lower Chamber of Deputies abruptly fired ex-prime minister Jean-Henry Céant on March 18.
Hearing about the opposition senators’ actions, some of their militant supporters from the nearby slums converged outside the Haitian Parliament’s gates and tried to get inside. They were stopped by police and Parliament security. A clash ensued with police, who responded by firing tear gas.
The violence extended to Grand Rue, a central street of Port-au-Prince, where flaming barricades were erected, and a truck from the government’s Centre National des Equipements construction agency was set on fire.
“What happened today pretty much opens the door for the gourde to deteriorate even further since we don’t know when we will get a government,” said economist Kesner Pharel in reference to Haiti’s national currency.
In March, the International Monetary Fund approved a zero-interest $229 million loan to Haiti. But the money — and an immediate $49 million disbursement — was contingent on the country’s having a government and a budget approved by both chambers of Parliament. The European Union, Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank had planned to provide about $75 million in budget support.
All of that is now up in the air.
On Thursday, Haiti’s Central Bank, fearing that the economy could deteriorate further, announced that it was pumping $150 million into the economy to stabilize the depreciation of the gourde. Haiti currently has a 17.7 percent inflation rate, and Haitians are spending more than 50 percent of their income on food. Meanwhile food prices have gone up by more than 20 percent in the past year.
“What the Central Bank has done may quiet the local exchange rate market for a couple of weeks. But if the deep political crisis isn’t solved, we will have the same pressures,” Pharel said.
The four senators involved were Antonio Cheramy, Évalière Beauplan, Rica Pierre, and Nènel Cassy. Cassy said they took the route they did because Senate President Carl Murat Cantave “has refused to listen to the voice of reason.“
“When he decided to side with the executive to violate the constitution, we told him that we disagreed to have former ministers that were part of the [previous] government return in the new government, which the constitution does not allow,” Cassy said.
Since the formation of Lapin’s cabinet, the senators have objected on technical and constitutional grounds to the process, accusing President Jovenel Moïse of not respecting the constitution and trying to illegally appoint ministers who lack the necessary financial clearance to serve.
On Thursday, they also claimed that the current cabinet — which was reconfigured after the second ratification hearing ended in a near fistfight — did not meet the 30 percent rule for female representation in the government.
The key point of contention has been the reappointment of Justice Minister Jean Roody Aly, one of eight ministers from the fired government to be reappointed. Earlier this year, Aly authorized the transfer of five armed Americans, including a former Navy SEAL, who had been arrested by Haiti National Police, to U.S. custody, where they were then flown out of Haiti and faced no charges in the U.S.
Sen. Ronald Lareche, a pro-government lawmaker, said he believes the key to breaking the impasse is to get rid of Aly. Dialogue is needed, Lareche said, while condemning the move by the four senators.
“Some of them decided to resort to violence, removing all of the furnishings inside the Senate, and that’s not acceptable,” Lareche said, describing the battle as one of “galactic proportions.”
But the senators also had support among some of their colleagues.
“I am for all the means necessary to force a respect of the Haitian Constitution,” said Sen. Jean Renel Senatus, a former government prosecutor.
Senatus said he doesn’t condone the burning of vehicles. However, he dismissed the broken chairs as “no big deal” and said he supports the four opposition senators.
“President Jovenel needs to know that the country isn’t a savannah,” Senatus said. “There are laws, there is a constitution. He was sworn in under the constitution. He has a duty to respect it.”
Haiti Opposition Senators Block Prime Minister Ratification Process
WASHINGTON / PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI —
VOA NEWS - The sound of furniture being dragged across the floor disrupted the silence inside Haiti's parliament at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
Four opposition senators and some helpers dragged chairs, desks and other furniture out of the Senate chamber and into the yard just 30 minutes before the Senate was due to begin debating the nomination of Prime Minister-designate Jean Michel Lapin.
The proceedings were canceled Thursday after the Senate furniture was removed. A new vote is planned for June.
On Wednesday, Senate leader Carl Murat Cantave had announced his intention to move forward with the process, at a standstill since March 18, when former Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant resigned amid corruption allegations.
Lapin's initial appearance before the Senate ended in chaos last month when a fight broke out between two senators who hurled insults and threw punches before calm was restored.
The opposition has dug in its heels and vowed to block the process until all former members of the Ceant Cabinet are removed from Lapin's proposed new government.
Senator Antonio Cheramy talks to VOA Creole about the furniture protest on the lawn of the Haitian parliament, May 30, 2019.
"What we did was a [deliberate] strategy," Sen. Antonio Cheramy, one of the opposition leaders who masterminded the furniture protest, told VOA Creole. He alleged that Cantave "violated various parliament regulations" during the process, which led to more drastic measures on their part.
"We've always said that we will not be bullied [by the ruling party]," Cheramy said. "I think everyone can agree that we need a government that defends the right of the people."
Haitians cheered Cheramy in the streets as his car made its way through downtown after leaving the Senate.
'The beginning of the revolt'
Meanwhile, outside the gates of parliament, dozens of protesters gathered in a show of support for the opposition's actions.
"Lock them up!" they chanted, referring to corrupt politicians.
Downtown, tires burned in the middle of Rue Pave, a main thoroughfare, and cars that risked navigating the road were met with a shower of rocks, VOA Creole's reporter said. The reporter also saw two Ministry of Public Works tractors parked in the middle of the road.
Protesters gather in front of of the Haitian parliament in Port au Prince, May 30, 2019.
"The people decided to put these here because we're done, we've had enough," said a young man standing near the tractors. "We can't let our country become a nation of thieves."
Asked where they got the equipment, the protester claimed he didn't know.
"We don't know how they got here, but what is important is that the people are watching. We know who is our enemy and who isn't. This is the beginning of the revolt," the protester said.
In another neighborhood of the capital, protesters dropped large rocks in the middle of the road, rendering it virtually impassible.
"We can't take it anymore," a protester yelled. "We want Jovenel [Moise, the president] to resign. Today we say, 'No, we can't take it. We are done.' "
The young man told VOA Creole that protesters would stay in the streets until their demands are satisfied.
Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in front of the parliament building in Port au Prince, Haiti, May 30, 2019.
Reactions online
On social media, reaction to the events were mostly negative.
"These four people, I'd like them to search Google for the definition of opposition. Then analyze your actions and see if you should call yourselves something else," @jeffdenis3451 commented on VOA Creole's Instagram page.
"These guys should be fined for what they did and then jailed," @otoniel_lafortunajean.j said.
But @elgetseycharles3 applauded the move, saying, "Bravo."