NEW YORK, CMC – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, elected officials, and faith leaders have called on the United States government to provide more urgent assistance to violence-wracked Haiti.
“It is so important that we deal with the issues in Gaza and deal with the issue in Ukraine and some of the other wars that are playing out on the stage of our globe, but this is in our backyard,” Adams told a news conference with civil rights activist, the Rev. Al Sharpton and other faith leaders and legislators.
“It’s in our backyard, and many of the residents of Haiti are from New York City, Miami, and other parts of the Americas.
“It is imperative that we have an immediate response. We cannot ignore it and act like it is not taking place. It is traumatizing for loved ones and family members who are here in New York City and other parts of the country. We must have ATF and other federal agencies investigate the flow of guns that is increasing on the island.
The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) enforces federal criminal laws and regulates the firearms and explosives industries.
“We must make sure that we hold any form of deportation of Haitian residents, so they are not sent back, particularly during the time of destabilization that’s taking place now,” the Mayor said, adding, “We have an obligation of giving our expertise how to bring a level of normality to the country at this time.”
He insisted that Haitians “are our neighbors. They’re very much part of what is taking place in this hemisphere, and I think it’s imperative that all of us come together, our faith leaders and the organizations that stand behind us, as we communicate this issue.
“We cannot consider ourselves to be people of faith and watching what is playing out in Haiti at this time, and that’s why we’re coming together to call for an immediate response, not a long-term, think through the problem.”
Adams said some of the immediate things that can be done to assist Haiti include stopping the flow of illegal firearms and the deportation of undocumented Haitians, offering expertise on how to stabilize the impoverished, French-speaking country, and providing necessary resources.
Rev. Sharpton, founder and president of the Harlem-based National Action Network (NAN), lamented what he termed the “reign of bedlam and terror” confronting Haiti that has not been adequately addressed.
“So, we gathered faith leaders that, in many ways, are the backbone of the Haitian-American community. No city in this country has more Haitian Americans who have relatives in Haiti who are living under this threat than in New York City.
“And that is why we wanted to stand with the faith leaders from different denominations and those of us in the African-American community and the Jewish community to say that we’re calling on this country to do all that it can do and more to deal with the crisis in Haiti.
“We have called to the White House and other aspects of the federal government to deal with the crisis in Haiti. There are reports that gun trafficking from Florida is providing arms for the gangs,” Sharpton said, noting that there needs to be investigations into this issue.
The Rev. Samuel Nichols, one of the “outstanding” Haitian-American leaders in Brooklyn, said that Haiti is in “a state of anarchy.
“Whatever helps the federal government can do to release the money allocated to Haiti, so we can have, whether it’s the Kenyans or international forces on the ground, helping to put security in Haiti, this is the primary reason that we are here.
“There is bloodshed every single day in Haiti, every single minute, and I assure you, right now as we are speaking, I’m sure that someone is being killed, someone is being slaughtered right now as we’re speaking. And we are here today standing with faith leaders, asking for the bloodshed in Haiti to stop.
“We are here asking for the country that Haiti helped to build, the Louisiana Purchase, is because of Haitians – because of 1804 that we rose, the only successful Black revolt that was done. After that, the Louisiana Purchase was done. We helped this country,” Rev. Nichols said, adding, “We helped to build Chicago. So, we are asking for help from you.
“The Second thing we’re asking is for the United States government to help restore democracy in Haiti. Elections need to be held as soon as possible so we can get the country back up and running.”
Another prominent Haitian pastor in Brooklyn, the Rev. Mullery Jean Pierre, said Haiti urgently needs America’s help.
“We are here standing to let our United States government know that Haiti needs your help now. We need an international force going in to help clean up the mess, dismantle the gangs, and help those gang members who are wearing ties, suits, and sandals—whichever level of gang member they are—they need to be dismantled in Haiti so that we can have security.
“We have a police force that needs to be rebuilt. We have a military that was reinstated in 2017. They need to be reinstated. We need to have security in Haiti. We need the Americans to come in, the international force to come in and to bring support, so that we can have free and fair elections<’ said
Rev. Jean-Pierre also urged that Haitians in the Diaspora “be at the table.”
Among elected officials who attended the event were Haitian-born Council Members Rita Joseph and Mercedes Narcisse and Council Member Farah Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants.
Narcisse, who represents the 46th Council District in Brooklyn, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) afterward that America “owes it to the Haitian people, who, in 1804, gave all enslaved people hope for a better day, to assist them in this darkest of times.
“I was happy to stand with Mayor Adams, Rev. Sharpton, and a diverse group of faith leaders from across the city to raise awareness of the situation and advocate for help for Haiti,” she said.
Last Thursday, Narcisse and Louis joined a delegation of other prominent Haitian-American leaders, including North Miami Vice Mayor Mary Estimé-Irvin, members of the Miami City Council, and faith-based leaders, in traveling to Washington to advocate for increased US intervention and support to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
Gangs in Haiti have launched a coordinated attack on the capital, plunging the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country into chaos by destroying infrastructure and causing civilian fatalities.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry has said he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created. But that has been delayed following disagreements over council members.
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