Why are people surprised about these being Haitian-Bahamians?

when you belittle a group long enough they are gonna get fed up and attack. Maybe if we had treaten them as human beings in the first place the nassau village riot maybe wouldn't have happened



They attacked police officers who were trying to carry out the law, and restore peace. They took it upon themself to incite an all out riot. Whether they were Haitian,Bahamian or any other nationality, they must be prosecuted. We must not allow situations like that to take hold of our country, simple.

Why are people surprised about these being Haitian-Bahamians?

when you belittle a group long enough they are gonna get fed up and attack. Maybe if we had treaten them as human beings in the first place the nassau village riot maybe wouldn't have happened

Amen. Haitians for the most part are some of the most humble people you can find. The riot in Nassau Village was not haitian thing it was a civilian against police thing just like kemp road. Incidents like this happen alot in our country. This was the most publicized one. Like I said I know bahamians who were involved who are not trouble makers. One of the leaders of the urban renewal project was there cleaning up when the police came and attacked her and others. She is not Haitian. She is a district constable. She is not a trouble maker. Like I said Persons there have the incident recorded on camera.
Yes the immigration situation is a problem that must be dealt with. But please fight the racist in you when looking at how to solve the problem.

Amen. Haitians for the most part are some of the most humble people you can find. The riot in Nassau Village was not haitian thing it was a civilian against police thing just like kemp road. Incidents like this happen alot in our country. This was the most publicized one. Like I said I know bahamians who were involved who are not trouble makers. One of the leaders of the urban renewal project was there cleaning up when the police came and attacked her and others. She is not Haitian. She is a district constable. She is not a trouble maker. Like I said Persons there have the incident recorded on camera.
Yes the immigration situation is a problem that must be dealt with. But please fight the racist in you when looking at how to solve the problem.



Please do not use the race card here, as people often take that route when they want to forfeit personal responsibility for their actions that sometimes can be harmful to others. We are all fighting battles of racism, seperatism, and degradation, these are not battles unique to Haitians, but to most minorities. However we cant use such experiences as an excuse to incite violence against others, two wrongs will never make a right. Lets not make this an issue about race and class, because we become distracted from dealing with the urgent issues at hand, which is our immigration situation. When one tries to deal with a situation in the fairest possible way, some persons will always feel as though they are getting the short end of the stick, and will label you as a racist, or being discriminatory, when in fact one is attempting to be as fair as possible. You cant please everybody.

They attacked police officers who were trying to carry out the law, and restore peace. They took it upon themself to incite an all out riot. Whether they were Haitian,Bahamian or any other nationality, they must be prosecuted. We must not allow situations like that to take hold of our country, simple.


There is calm now, this is working itself out in the best way, the best thing here for us to do now is to let it be, let it go. The idea to show who is in charge is a bully attitude, the big governments attitude such as the US, RU, EU etc and the Bahamas people and the Bahamian people do not have time, nor money, nor people to waist or to jeopardize on this big government arrogant concept. Just let it go.

There is calm now, this is working itself out in the best way, the best thing here for us to do now is to let it be, let it go. The idea to show who is in charge is a bully attitude, the big governments attitude such as the US, RU, EU etc and the Bahamas people and the Bahamian people do not have time, nor money, nor people to waist or to jeopardize on this big government arrogant concept. Just let it go.

Yes, the typical Bahamian way. Sit on your butt and let things get worse - as long as everything seems alright for the time being.

"Just let it go" while more illegals enter our shores and have children who can claim Bahamian citizenship. We're up to how many now? 75,000, according to official reports? Lack of foresight is definitely our most underestimated weakness.

The Bahamas will be the modern day global case study for illegal immigrant overpopulation if nothing is done about this. We cannot afford to NOT do anything.

There is calm now, this is working itself out in the best way, the best thing here for us to do now is to let it be, let it go. The idea to show who is in charge is a bully attitude, the big governments attitude such as the US, RU, EU etc and the Bahamas people and the Bahamian people do not have time, nor money, nor people to waist or to jeopardize on this big government arrogant concept. Just let it go.


This is the reason what is wrong with our country, people ignoring he problems and not dealing with them. I wish we could go back in time 20 years ago and tell the authorities of things to come and maybe it wouldnt be the same today. I can only hope you work no where near Immigration services. Because with this kind of thinking, you are seriously why the problem propetuates

:realmad: With the Haitian crisis, i have to blame the bahamain government and the bahamian people. First of all, some of these illegials have been here 25 to 30 years. Why should immigration wait years later to do they 'raid', we sit back and let them do as they please then want to just get up and say this getting out of hand. By time they want to get up and do something its to late, either they get papers or they find ways to outsmart the officals. Secondly, we have lots of bahamian buisness owners who hire hatians knowing quite well they status, so they do this black mailing thing, i hire them and pay them anything, and if the haitians speak up or show any attitude you all know what time it is. so i say round them up and carry em, its been to long, government letting them squatter of property for free, and bahamians have to work they back to the bone and get stress just to buy piece of they own land.

:realmad: With the Haitian crisis, i have to blame the bahamain government and the bahamian people. First of all, some of these illegials have been here 25 to 30 years. Why should immigration wait years later to do they 'raid', we sit back and let them do as they please then want to just get up and say this getting out of hand. By time they want to get up and do something its to late, either they get papers or they find ways to outsmart the officals. Secondly, we have lots of bahamian buisness owners who hire hatians knowing quite well they status, so they do this black mailing thing, i hire them and pay them anything, and if the haitians speak up or show any attitude you all know what time it is. so i say round them up and carry em, its been to long, government letting them squatter of property for free, and bahamians have to work they back to the bone and get stress just to buy piece of they own land.

I agree entirely. I've been quiet on this issue for the past week or so because I wanted to find out a bit more about what has been really going on. We have several distinct problems (Some of these have already being highlighted on this site and some have not):

Bahamians are being led to believe that by protecting our borders we are being insensitive to the plight of Haitians. Past prejudices against Haitians are being cast in our faces in an attempt by some to reduce the intensity of campaigns that may reduce our illegal immigrant problem. Thus many Bahamians are avoiding the topic altogether because the general feeling is that we may be viewed as racists for sending them back to their broken country. We are also being told that learning about their culture and history will assist us in understanding what is happening in that nation. While everyone should be open to learning about another culture, this serves only as a buffer to distract from the matter at hand: They are using The Bahamas for the purposes of their own self preservation and survival, without having to support the Bahamian governmental systems that openly sustain them, despite their illegal status. (By default, we are mandated by law to provide educational and health services to everyone.) With a struggling economy, can the Bahamian government afford additional expenses created by foreign entities? How much of the Bahamian Treasury’s money is being spent per year on a situation that is being caused by another country’s instability?

A cultural split is beginning to show itself as the local culture is being forced to adapt to a foreign one. This is a clear sign that the immigrant population has taken a foothold. Schools are beginning to teach in both Creole and English, and radio advertisements in Creole are becoming more prevalent. This is a trend that Bahamians will have to simply accept. I would encourage any English speaking Bahamian parent to make sure that their children are well-versed in both languages.

There is a ton of money being made from illegal immigration. This scandal runs deep within the ranks of Bahamian officials. As there doesn’t seem to be any legitimate regulatory body to investigate and prosecute their acts, most likely it will continue undeterred. From what I’ve seen and heard, there is little or no chance of reversal, despite reports of “rounding up” large numbers of illegal immigrants. Rumours of established networks to ensure that the almighty dollar guarantees freedom from repatriation appear to be quite true. Meanwhile, money is being earned in this country by Haitian workers and then used to bring in other family members on a continual basis. The effectiveness of the illegal immigrant raids are also being undermined by those involved in this corrupt system - Word travels fast in this age of cell phones and pagers. Meanwhile, this “innocent” situation is continuing to turn against those Bahamians who initially were involved in creating the concept that The Bahamas is the “promised land” for Haitians. With the Bahamian worker being classified as lazy and ignorant and Haitian workers being categorized as the complete opposite, The Bahamas is one of the only countries that unfairly judges its own citizens. Here’s a look at the work ethic situation from their point of view: If I found myself in a foreign nation and knew that the fruits of my labour would guarantee my family’s survival by paying for them to join me, I would work my fingers to the bone to ensure it. Many of you would do the same. Would that fact, however, make it right to force my way into another country? Of course not, but I would be sure to bring up every argument I could possibly think of to maintain my presence in that foreign country and if I had to pay someone off to do it I would. That type of mentality is what Bahamians are being faced with.

With each child that Haitian illegal immigrants have, one more voice will be added to the number who will protect the way of life of their people here in The Bahamas. As the situation in Haiti will take the remainder of the century to improve to a stable level, this nation of The Bahamas will change drastically because of these immigrants. Loyalty is often ingrained by the parents of a child; to what flag will their loyalty be as the Bahamian school and health systems buckle under the weight of those extra numbers and their children who only wanted to leave Haiti to survive. Who will offer The Bahamas sympathy in that situation? Will there be a point when even those of Haitian descent say, “Enough is enough”?

The past week was an eye-opener. Where are the true Bahamian patriots in our governmental system or are they all getting “something” under the table?

I agree entirely. I've been quiet on this issue for the past week or so because I wanted to find out a bit more about what has been really going on. We have several distinct problems (Some of these have already being highlighted on this site and some have not):

Bahamians are being led to believe that by protecting our borders we are being insensitive to the plight of Haitians. Past prejudices against Haitians are being cast in our faces in an attempt by some to reduce the intensity of campaigns that may reduce our illegal immigrant problem. Thus many Bahamians are avoiding the topic altogether because the general feeling is that we may be viewed as racists for sending them back to their broken country. We are also being told that learning about their culture and history will assist us in understanding what is happening in that nation. While everyone should be open to learning about another culture, this serves only as a buffer to distract from the matter at hand: They are using The Bahamas for the purposes of their own self preservation and survival, without having to support the Bahamian governmental systems that openly sustain them, despite their illegal status. (By default, we are mandated by law to provide educational and health services to everyone.) With a struggling economy, can the Bahamian government afford additional expenses created by foreign entities? How much of the Bahamian Treasury’s money is being spent per year on a situation that is being caused by another country’s instability?

A cultural split is beginning to show itself as the local culture is being forced to adapt to a foreign one. This is a clear sign that the immigrant population has taken a foothold. Schools are beginning to teach in both Creole and English, and radio advertisements in Creole are becoming more prevalent. This is a trend that Bahamians will have to simply accept. I would encourage any English speaking Bahamian parent to make sure that their children are well-versed in both languages.

There is a ton of money being made from illegal immigration. This scandal runs deep within the ranks of Bahamian officials. As there doesn’t seem to be any legitimate regulatory body to investigate and prosecute their acts, most likely it will continue undeterred. From what I’ve seen and heard, there is little or no chance of reversal, despite reports of “rounding up” large numbers of illegal immigrants. Rumours of established networks to ensure that the almighty dollar guarantees freedom from repatriation appear to be quite true. Meanwhile, money is being earned in this country by Haitian workers and then used to bring in other family members on a continual basis. The effectiveness of the illegal immigrant raids are also being undermined by those involved in this corrupt system - Word travels fast in this age of cell phones and pagers. Meanwhile, this “innocent” situation is continuing to turn against those Bahamians who initially were involved in creating the concept that The Bahamas is the “promised land” for Haitians. With the Bahamian worker being classified as lazy and ignorant and Haitian workers being categorized as the complete opposite, The Bahamas is one of the only countries that unfairly judges its own citizens. Here’s a look at the work ethic situation from their point of view: If I found myself in a foreign nation and knew that the fruits of my labour would guarantee my family’s survival by paying for them to join me, I would work my fingers to the bone to ensure it. Many of you would do the same. Would that fact, however, make it right to force my way into another country? Of course not, but I would be sure to bring up every argument I could possibly think of to maintain my presence in that foreign country and if I had to pay someone off to do it I would. That type of mentality is what Bahamians are being faced with.

With each child that Haitian illegal immigrants have, one more voice will be added to the number who will protect the way of life of their people here in The Bahamas. As the situation in Haiti will take the remainder of the century to improve to a stable level, this nation of The Bahamas will change drastically because of these immigrants. Loyalty is often ingrained by the parents of a child; to what flag will their loyalty be as the Bahamian school and health systems buckle under the weight of those extra numbers and their children who only wanted to leave Haiti to survive. Who will offer The Bahamas sympathy in that situation? Will there be a point when even those of Haitian descent say, “Enough is enough”?

The past week was an eye-opener. Where are the true Bahamian patriots in our governmental system or are they all getting “something” under the table?



I totally agree with everything that you have said Yorick. You should be Minister of Immigration in my humble opinion. Excuse my language here, but it reflects my feelings about our immigration situation far away in another country. There is too much pu**y footing, curryfavouring, buying favours, a** kissing in our government and the wider Bahamian society. At this point we either do something quick and effective, or put up and shut up! This is the time for the Bahamas and Bahamians to make this decision today in the present, or face an undesirable future. If I could I would run for Prime Minister, and I probably would not have any friends, but things woul get done.

I totally agree with everything that you have said Yorick. You should be Minister of Immigration in my humble opinion. Excuse my language here, but it reflects my feelings about our immigration situation far away in another country. There is too much pu**y footing, curryfavouring, buying favours, a** kissing in our government and the wider Bahamian society. At this point we either do something quick and effective, or put up and shut up! This is the time for the Bahamas and Bahamians to make this decision today in the present, or face an undesirable future. If I could I would run for Prime Minister, and I probably would not have any friends, but things woul get done.


You probably would win on the platform of simply ridding ourselves of the immigration problem. Sending everyone illegal home! You got my vote!

YorickBrown
A cultural split is beginning to show itself as the local culture is being forced to adapt to a foreign one. This is a clear sign that the immigrant population has taken a foothold. Schools are beginning to teach in both Creole and English, and radio advertisements in Creole are becoming more prevalent. This is a trend that Bahamians will have to simply accept. I would encourage any English speaking Bahamian parent to make sure that their children are well-versed in both languages.



I agree with MOST of what yor saying but the above is the exception, allowing teachers to teach in creole only perpetuates the problems and adds to the inaccordance of the laws. I feel sad for the Haitian children who are stateless in this country they didnt ask to be here, but thier parents decided this fate for them. Everyone has to learn English this is the language of the Bahamas. If these children are Bahamian then they have to speak the language this country is not in the business of perpetuating illegitimacy.

I think now, the governemental entities are waking up and seeing what the effects of lax efforts and unethical practices overtime can do for a people. Low standards, bad service, and unrule by foreign entities. It isnt that hard and it isnt that easy either but the Bahamian public collectively has to speak up to create change, it cant go unnoticed forever (there is always election). How did it get this bad, I just want to scream sometimes.



It like restating the obivious if you bulldoze the shanty towns where will they stay if because that was always there. Levy heavy fines against Bahamians that hire these illegals, the illegals arent working for themselves. Send a clear message that the days of the Bahamas being the place for slackness and disorder are long gone. Constant pressure needs to be the modus operandi towards the illegals in this country. We are cleaning up shop and everyone who isnt in accordance has to go!

Seriousness need to be the major tenet of the public sector, enforce the laws of the land, that incident in Eleuthera the other week was a clear example of the problems going on in the immigration department, someone knows who did what, No question, I would have fired every last one of um.

every derilect building in Nassau should be bulldozed and the land sold to someone that has money to fix up and beautify the area.

Woww .. then we may have less ghettos :-)

The influx of illegal Haitian immigrants to our shores is not going to decrease anytime soon. Even the persons who have come to assist Haiti (U.N.) are being attacked. This brings up the question: After becoming used to such atrocities and lawlessness, what kind of mentality do the Haitian persons who illegally enter this nation have? Are things in Haiti going to stabilize soon?

The Bahamian government is making moves to address the issue of illegal immigration right now, but with such a grim outlook on the Haitian situation I would hope they double or even triple their current efforts to protect our borders.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - His departure was supposed to bring peace.

But 9 & 1/2 months after former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was flown into exile, the city’s slums are still crawling with armed gangs.

When hundreds of United Nations troops in white armored personnel carriers mounted a predawn raid in the waterfront slum of Cite Soleil on Tuesday, they were met with a hail of bullets from pro-Aristide militants.

"It’s guerrilla war," said Jean-Claude Bajeux, a veteran human rights activist. "When Aristide left we thought we could breathe more easily, but the battle was only beginning."

Restoring government control over Port-au-Prince, one of the hemisphere’s most lawless cities, was never going to be easy. For months after Aristide’s ouster U.N. peacekeepers kept their distance, hoping the gangs would disarm and go along with international efforts to rebuild the desperately impoverished nation.

Instead the gangs dug in and stocked up on ammunition. Dislodging them has now become an urgent priority as Haitians have begun to lose patience with "les blancs" - the "white men," a term they use for all foreigners, in this case those who have come to their rescue. Money from a $1.2-billion international aid package has barely begun to flow.

Haiti’s weak interim government is fast losing credibility amid the insecurity and the absence of any sign of political reconciliation and economic reconstruction.

Accusations of a witch hunt against pro-Aristide supporters - with dozens languishing in jail without formal charges - led to unusual criticism from the United States this week of the government’s poor human rights record.

"The country is completely destroyed," said Leonce Duval, a 75-year-old retired metal worker in Bel Air, a poor but once relatively peaceful neighborhood here in the capital.

"Things weren’t great with "Titid,"’ he added, using the name many Haitians use to refer to Aristide. "But at least some of us had work. Without Aristide it’s chaos."

Street walls are covered with pro-Aristide graffiti. "One way or another Aristide is coming back," one announces.

Outside a small street-corner store run by Duval’s 31-year-old son, Leonel, residents complain bitterly of seven months without electricity or running water. They defend the actions of the gangs, known as " "chimeres, " or gangsters, in Haitian slang.

"They aren’t chimeres ; they are the underprivileged that society ignores," said the older Duval. "They are fighting for a means to survive and to feed their families."

The situation is no better outside the capital. In the port city of Gonaives, where a flash flood killed upwards of 3,000 people and left thousands homeless, the waters have receded. But the city’s 200,000 residents struggle to survive on food handouts from international relief agencies.

Former members of the disbanded Haitian army who joined the uprising to oust Aristide are also refusing to disarm. On Wednesday they brazenly occupied Aristide’s former residence on the outskirts of the capital, declaring it their new headquarters.

"The security problem cannot be dealt with by the U.N. alone," said their leader, Remissainthe Ravix, standing in the driveway in full military fatigues and brandishing a gold-plated sword. "The U.N. needs our help."

The United Nations wasted no time turning down that offer. By week’s end Ravix and 50 of his men were evicted. But other former army soldiers continue to defy authorities in several towns.

It was quiet at first after Aristide left. But by September the gangs erupted in violence, proclaiming their loyalty to Aristide, a former slum priest who made his name preaching to the poor in Cite Soleil.

All over the city the gangs sprang into action, mounting hit-and-run attacks on poorly defended police stations, erecting barricades of uncollected garbage and burned-out cars. In the last two months the death toll has risen past 100, including a number of savage beheadings. Often bodies are left to rot in the street. Ambulance workers say it’s too dangerous to pick them up.

The assassins are never apprehended. If the victims’ relatives are lucky, a police report may be filed. But the case almost always ends there.

In fact, killings are so frequent in the capital that municipal workers simply ferry the unclaimed bodies each weekend to a mass grave outside the city. When the refrigeration unit recently broke down at the city morgue for two weeks, the stench became so overpowering that offices in surrounding buildings had to close.

Neither can Haiti’s small civilian police force be counted on. Under Aristide the force was deeply corrupted by involvement in drug trafficking and political repression. Only 3,500 active officers remain. The force is being vetted with the help of the U.N. to weed out those suspected of ties to criminal activity.

At one police station in the northwestern suburb of Cazeau, the exterior is pocked with bullet holes. A pickup bearing police plates and carrying armed men drove by Dec. 7 spraying gunfire. Three police officers inside the station were wounded.

The entrance is now protected by a five-foot wall of sandbags. "We are supposed to be policemen," said Inspector Joel Casseus, 32, who graduated from a U.S. police training program in the 1990s. "But this is a military situation."

By mid December the gangs had extended their influence beyond the slums and into downtown Port-au-Prince. Many schools and businesses operate on a day-to-day basis, depending on where the gangs choose to strike.

Most of the deaths are attributed to clashes between gangs who were previously allied behind Aristide, and received their weapons and financing directly from the presidential palace.

Throughout the city, gangs have marked their turf : When reporters met leaders of a Bel Air gang recently, they were escorted through barricades by a youth wielding an Uzi submachine gun.

In a safe-house some 20 gang members said they were former public employees fired in recent months from municipal jobs in the capital and the state telephone and electricity companies. They accused the police and wealthy businessmen of using paid infiltrators to turn the gangs against each other.

"They want to massacre us all," said Samba Boukman, a spokesman for the Popular Base Resistance Movement in Bel Air, which claims to have armed supporters in all the city’s major slums. "Without Aristide there can be no reconciliation. We prefer to fight and die for Aristide’s return."

He produced a list of 16 names of recently deceased members. Others in the room displayed recent injuries. "I was on my way to have lunch when we were ambushed," said Daniel Cazamayor, 23, pus seeping from an infected bullet wound in his jaw.

The dozen or so gangs in the city number only 200 to 300 armed men altogether, police say. Even so, from a hilltop in Bel Air it’s easy to see how a few men with guns are able to hold the city in a viselike grip.

The city center stretched out below is hemmed in on all sides by slum squalor. Less than a mile to the south gleams the white facade of the presidential palace. Behind it is the Martissant slum, another bastion of pro-Aristide gunmen.

To the west lies the waterfront and the capital’s main port. Access to the north runs into La Saline and then Cite Soleil, the most divided and dangerous of the slums.

The no man’s land that separates Cite Soleil’s warring gangs is a smoldering wasteland of burned down shacks. The road that runs through it is littered with rocks, broken glass and spent bullets.

On one side is a gang led by Emmanuel "Dread" Wilme, allied to Aristide’s Lavalas Family party. On the other side, are the gunmen of Thomas Robinson, alias "Labaniere," or "the Banner."

Robinson was once a chief enforcer for the Aristide government. He switched sides last year and now flies an American flag over his gang headquarters.

"Here it’s calm," said Robinson, lounging by the side of the road as a U.N. patrol went past. "But over there it’s a Lavalas jungle," he added pointing down the street.

With the American military stretched thin around the globe, U.S. officials say the Bush administration was happy to allow other nations to lead the peacekeeping effort. But they privately worry that the passive U.N. tactics have allowed the gunmen to become entrenched.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell recently urged tougher action during an official visit. As if to emphasize his words, gunfire broke out near Haiti’s presidential palace while he was inside holding talks.

U.N. officials have always said they can’t tackle the gangs until the mission reaches its full strength of some 8,300 troops and police. That has taken months, as small contingents have trickled into the country from 41 nations.

But with most now here, the United Nations is beginning to change gears. "It’s true there has been a security gap," said David Beer, the Canadian commander of the 1,600-strong foreign police contingent. But he is confident the situation will soon improve. "The next few weeks will be very telling."

Tuesday’s raid on Cite Soleil was a sign that the United Nations means business.

Residents were awakened by the sound of gunfire as Jordanian troops rolled into the slum in light armored vehicles with .50-caliber, mounted machine guns.

The troops came under "intense" fire from Wilme’s gunmen, said Gen. Augusto Heleno, head of the Brazilian-led U.N. military force. They responded with overwhelming force, blasting the shantytown streets with automatic rifle and cannon fire.

While casualties appear to have been limited - the U.N. reported only five wounded, including one Jordanian soldier - residents said the toll was far higher.

Three-year-old Lovenciat Dieudonne was wounded in the neck by a stray bullet. "She was asleep on the floor. We don’t even know where the bullet came from," said her father, Reguer Dieudonne, 35, indicating a hole in the corrugated metal exterior of the family shack.

U.N. troops reoccupied two abandoned police stations in Cite Soleil. They were there to ensure a return to "normal life," said Gen. Heleno.

Of course, normal doesn’t amount to much in Haiti’s slums. "I feel sorry for Gen. Heleno," said Bajeux, the human rights activist. "I don’t think he knows what he’s dealing with."

The influx of illegal Haitian immigrants to our shores is not going to decrease anytime soon. Even the persons who have come to assist Haiti (U.N.) are being attacked. This brings up the question: After becoming used to such atrocities and lawlessness, what kind of mentality do the Haitian persons who illegally enter this nation have? Are things in Haiti going to stabilize soon?

The Bahamian government is making moves to address the issue of illegal immigration right now, but with such a grim outlook on the Haitian situation I would hope they double or even triple their current efforts to protect our borders.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - His departure was supposed to bring peace.

But 9 & 1/2 months after former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was flown into exile, the city’s slums are still crawling with armed gangs.

When hundreds of United Nations troops in white armored personnel carriers mounted a predawn raid in the waterfront slum of Cite Soleil on Tuesday, they were met with a hail of bullets from pro-Aristide militants.

"It’s guerrilla war," said Jean-Claude Bajeux, a veteran human rights activist. "When Aristide left we thought we could breathe more easily, but the battle was only beginning."

Restoring government control over Port-au-Prince, one of the hemisphere’s most lawless cities, was never going to be easy. For months after Aristide’s ouster U.N. peacekeepers kept their distance, hoping the gangs would disarm and go along with international efforts to rebuild the desperately impoverished nation.

Instead the gangs dug in and stocked up on ammunition. Dislodging them has now become an urgent priority as Haitians have begun to lose patience with "les blancs" - the "white men," a term they use for all foreigners, in this case those who have come to their rescue. Money from a $1.2-billion international aid package has barely begun to flow.

Haiti’s weak interim government is fast losing credibility amid the insecurity and the absence of any sign of political reconciliation and economic reconstruction.

Accusations of a witch hunt against pro-Aristide supporters - with dozens languishing in jail without formal charges - led to unusual criticism from the United States this week of the government’s poor human rights record.

"The country is completely destroyed," said Leonce Duval, a 75-year-old retired metal worker in Bel Air, a poor but once relatively peaceful neighborhood here in the capital.

"Things weren’t great with "Titid,"’ he added, using the name many Haitians use to refer to Aristide. "But at least some of us had work. Without Aristide it’s chaos."

Street walls are covered with pro-Aristide graffiti. "One way or another Aristide is coming back," one announces.

Outside a small street-corner store run by Duval’s 31-year-old son, Leonel, residents complain bitterly of seven months without electricity or running water. They defend the actions of the gangs, known as " "chimeres, " or gangsters, in Haitian slang.

"They aren’t chimeres ; they are the underprivileged that society ignores," said the older Duval. "They are fighting for a means to survive and to feed their families."

The situation is no better outside the capital. In the port city of Gonaives, where a flash flood killed upwards of 3,000 people and left thousands homeless, the waters have receded. But the city’s 200,000 residents struggle to survive on food handouts from international relief agencies.

Former members of the disbanded Haitian army who joined the uprising to oust Aristide are also refusing to disarm. On Wednesday they brazenly occupied Aristide’s former residence on the outskirts of the capital, declaring it their new headquarters.

"The security problem cannot be dealt with by the U.N. alone," said their leader, Remissainthe Ravix, standing in the driveway in full military fatigues and brandishing a gold-plated sword. "The U.N. needs our help."

The United Nations wasted no time turning down that offer. By week’s end Ravix and 50 of his men were evicted. But other former army soldiers continue to defy authorities in several towns.

It was quiet at first after Aristide left. But by September the gangs erupted in violence, proclaiming their loyalty to Aristide, a former slum priest who made his name preaching to the poor in Cite Soleil.

All over the city the gangs sprang into action, mounting hit-and-run attacks on poorly defended police stations, erecting barricades of uncollected garbage and burned-out cars. In the last two months the death toll has risen past 100, including a number of savage beheadings. Often bodies are left to rot in the street. Ambulance workers say it’s too dangerous to pick them up.

The assassins are never apprehended. If the victims’ relatives are lucky, a police report may be filed. But the case almost always ends there.

In fact, killings are so frequent in the capital that municipal workers simply ferry the unclaimed bodies each weekend to a mass grave outside the city. When the refrigeration unit recently broke down at the city morgue for two weeks, the stench became so overpowering that offices in surrounding buildings had to close.

Neither can Haiti’s small civilian police force be counted on. Under Aristide the force was deeply corrupted by involvement in drug trafficking and political repression. Only 3,500 active officers remain. The force is being vetted with the help of the U.N. to weed out those suspected of ties to criminal activity.

At one police station in the northwestern suburb of Cazeau, the exterior is pocked with bullet holes. A pickup bearing police plates and carrying armed men drove by Dec. 7 spraying gunfire. Three police officers inside the station were wounded.

The entrance is now protected by a five-foot wall of sandbags. "We are supposed to be policemen," said Inspector Joel Casseus, 32, who graduated from a U.S. police training program in the 1990s. "But this is a military situation."

By mid December the gangs had extended their influence beyond the slums and into downtown Port-au-Prince. Many schools and businesses operate on a day-to-day basis, depending on where the gangs choose to strike.

Most of the deaths are attributed to clashes between gangs who were previously allied behind Aristide, and received their weapons and financing directly from the presidential palace.

Throughout the city, gangs have marked their turf : When reporters met leaders of a Bel Air gang recently, they were escorted through barricades by a youth wielding an Uzi submachine gun.

In a safe-house some 20 gang members said they were former public employees fired in recent months from municipal jobs in the capital and the state telephone and electricity companies. They accused the police and wealthy businessmen of using paid infiltrators to turn the gangs against each other.

"They want to massacre us all," said Samba Boukman, a spokesman for the Popular Base Resistance Movement in Bel Air, which claims to have armed supporters in all the city’s major slums. "Without Aristide there can be no reconciliation. We prefer to fight and die for Aristide’s return."

He produced a list of 16 names of recently deceased members. Others in the room displayed recent injuries. "I was on my way to have lunch when we were ambushed," said Daniel Cazamayor, 23, pus seeping from an infected bullet wound in his jaw.

The dozen or so gangs in the city number only 200 to 300 armed men altogether, police say. Even so, from a hilltop in Bel Air it’s easy to see how a few men with guns are able to hold the city in a viselike grip.

The city center stretched out below is hemmed in on all sides by slum squalor. Less than a mile to the south gleams the white facade of the presidential palace. Behind it is the Martissant slum, another bastion of pro-Aristide gunmen.

To the west lies the waterfront and the capital’s main port. Access to the north runs into La Saline and then Cite Soleil, the most divided and dangerous of the slums.

The no man’s land that separates Cite Soleil’s warring gangs is a smoldering wasteland of burned down shacks. The road that runs through it is littered with rocks, broken glass and spent bullets.

On one side is a gang led by Emmanuel "Dread" Wilme, allied to Aristide’s Lavalas Family party. On the other side, are the gunmen of Thomas Robinson, alias "Labaniere," or "the Banner."

Robinson was once a chief enforcer for the Aristide government. He switched sides last year and now flies an American flag over his gang headquarters.

"Here it’s calm," said Robinson, lounging by the side of the road as a U.N. patrol went past. "But over there it’s a Lavalas jungle," he added pointing down the street.

With the American military stretched thin around the globe, U.S. officials say the Bush administration was happy to allow other nations to lead the peacekeeping effort. But they privately worry that the passive U.N. tactics have allowed the gunmen to become entrenched.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell recently urged tougher action during an official visit. As if to emphasize his words, gunfire broke out near Haiti’s presidential palace while he was inside holding talks.

U.N. officials have always said they can’t tackle the gangs until the mission reaches its full strength of some 8,300 troops and police. That has taken months, as small contingents have trickled into the country from 41 nations.

But with most now here, the United Nations is beginning to change gears. "It’s true there has been a security gap," said David Beer, the Canadian commander of the 1,600-strong foreign police contingent. But he is confident the situation will soon improve. "The next few weeks will be very telling."

Tuesday’s raid on Cite Soleil was a sign that the United Nations means business.

Residents were awakened by the sound of gunfire as Jordanian troops rolled into the slum in light armored vehicles with .50-caliber, mounted machine guns.

The troops came under "intense" fire from Wilme’s gunmen, said Gen. Augusto Heleno, head of the Brazilian-led U.N. military force. They responded with overwhelming force, blasting the shantytown streets with automatic rifle and cannon fire.

While casualties appear to have been limited - the U.N. reported only five wounded, including one Jordanian soldier - residents said the toll was far higher.

Three-year-old Lovenciat Dieudonne was wounded in the neck by a stray bullet. "She was asleep on the floor. We don’t even know where the bullet came from," said her father, Reguer Dieudonne, 35, indicating a hole in the corrugated metal exterior of the family shack.

U.N. troops reoccupied two abandoned police stations in Cite Soleil. They were there to ensure a return to "normal life," said Gen. Heleno.

Of course, normal doesn’t amount to much in Haiti’s slums. "I feel sorry for Gen. Heleno," said Bajeux, the human rights activist. "I don’t think he knows what he’s dealing with."

This is scary, Bahamians be prepared to defend your homeland by a force of unruly roguish illegals.

Yes, the typical Bahamian way. Sit on your butt and let things get worse - as long as everything seems alright for the time being.

"Just let it go" while more illegals enter our shores and have children who can claim Bahamian citizenship. We're up to how many now? 75,000, according to official reports? Lack of foresight is definitely our most underestimated weakness.

The Bahamas will be the modern day global case study for illegal immigrant overpopulation if nothing is done about this. We cannot afford to NOT do anything.

I am sure you understand my position on this matter, and I have posted several recent comments on this.