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Dominican Republic's Violence Against Haitians: Time to Act, Not Just Condemn

May 8, 2009

Dominican Republic's Violence Against Haitians: Time to Act, Not Just Condemn

by Wadner Pierre- www.haitianalysis.com

A Haitian man was beheaded on May 1 in the Santo Domingo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires as onlookers applauded. Some reportedly used their cell phones to film the murder.

According to news reports. the murder was in reprisal for the beheading of Dominican man - a crime allegedly perpetrated by a Haitian national who remains at large.

The Dominican Republic (DR) and Haiti share the island of Hispaniola. Approximately 1 million Haitians live in the DR - typically doing the most arduous and undesirable work available in agriculture and construction. They are regularly subjected to mob violence and other abuse.

Haiti's foreign minister, Alrich Nicolas, called the lynching "barbarous" and delivered an official protest to the Dominican authorities. I am much more impressed by an open letter sent to Haitian President Rene Preval, which I published on my blog,

Haitian Woman citizen who lives aboard, asked the Preval's administration to act, not only to condemn. Indeed, we must press the Dominican Republic for reparations for its many crimes against Haitians.

The DR allowed itself to be used as a staging ground for rebels who helped overthrow Haiti's democratically elected government in 2004. In 1994, when the US finally ordered Haiti's military government to step down, the DR provided refuge to many of its most notorious members. Most infamously, there was the Parsley Massacre of 1937.

That year, that US backed dictator of the DR, Rafael Trujillo, decided to unilaterally redraw the boundary between the countries. Between 18,000 to 35,000 Haitians were massacred. A US brokered agreement obliged the DR to pay about $29 per officially recognized death. Shortly after the killing spree, US Secretary of State Cordell Hull said that Trujillo "is one of the greatest men in Central America and in most of South America."

I cry out for my fellow Haitians who have been mistreated for so long in the DR. As a Haitian, I carry with me the abuse and humiliation that my brothers and sisters have accumulated for so long in the neighboring republic. The Haitian government should go to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and demand justice for thousands that had been murdered and abused. Today with our supposedly democratic government, and with all the human rights groups that exist, it doesn't seem like too much to ask.

We share this island with our brothers and sisters in the DR. Racism destroys our ability to live in peace with one another. I wish Dominicans would explore why there is so much hatred of us in their country. In fairness, during the early 1800s Haitian troops invaded the DR - unsuccessfully attempting to deny foreign powers a base from which to attack Haiti. Today, Haiti has no army at all. In fact, the Aristide government provoked hostility in the DR by disbanding Haiti's army and thereby denying the DR's military a credible reason to exist.

Like this couragous woman, I am tired of counting our corpses in the DR. Our government must use this case to put an end to the targeting of Haitians in the DR once and for all.


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Why so much Hate?

This is all bullshit. We keep this cycle going and no one is going to progress. Im a Dominican Woman reading all of this information and it really gets to me. Haiti's government needs to stand up and put their foot down. And the dominican government needs to do the same. There is so much great things that came from both cultures, yet it is being distroyed with arogance and hate. You would think that people would be more mature and want to live in peace, but i guess thats not the case.

the haitians.

well I´m from the dominican republic and I want to say that the haitians all have to put in a big level for example this news was about a dominican who kill a haitian for a revenge but no was cause this guy was a haitian citizen this just was for a familiary revenge cause this haitian kill the brother of the dominican citizen so that not was a national fight
I think the haitians have a bad country and want to put our country like them whit them false news we don´t fight whit haitians we just give them works and they have to do it well.

Violence against the Haitian In Dominican Republic

Pierre F. Lherisson
Let's hope that this ferocious and ignoble incident is not a prelude for more sinister events.

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It is like a déjà vu patterns. Usually, the Dominicans will come up with a spurious allegation against the Haïtians that follow by draconian and repressive actions.

At this juncture it is important to reminds the young Haïtians everywhere that in 1937,the Dominican President, Rafael Leonidas Trujilo Molina made an allegation that one of his top secret spy in Haïti was uncover and executed. On October 2nd,1937, while Trujilio was at a party in Dajabon,he announced his intention to eradicate the Haïtian presence in Dominican Republic.
Trujilio demographic policy favored white immigration to replace the blacks in Dominican Republic. He accused the Haïtians of theft of cattle and agricultural products; he then instructed the military to kill the Haïtians.

From October 2nd to October 8th 1937 The Dominican military massacred between 30,000 to 38,000 Haïtians during the "parsley massacre".
The military spared the Haïtians that were working in the sugar fields. Most of the carnage occurred in the Cibao region.
The carnage was Afrophobic motivated because the the military were carrying spring of parsley they would hold up when intercepting dark skin person and asked them: "What is this?" Those who could not pronounce the Spanish word perejil were assumed to be Haïtian and were killed. The military used bayonet, guns, knives, clubs and machetes.

It is curious to know that Trujilio maternal grand mother, Ms.Luisa Ercina Chevalier was a dark skin Haïtian and her daughter, Ms. Altagracia Julia Molina Chevalier,was Trujilio's mother.She was half Haitian and half Dominican.

Although the Dominican are the darkest among the Latin Americans,they conveniently disassociated themselves from their African roots.
Usually, dark skin Dominicans will claims that their ancestors were Tainos Indians not Haïtians.
The Spanish massacred all the Tainos Indians in Hispaniola. Countries like Mexico , Peru, Ecuador,Nicaragua Etc..have Indians but they are not dark skin; look at the average Mexican,Peruvian etc...Even if their ancestor were Tainos their complexion would be like the Mexican from Puebla

I must say that the tragic consequences of Trujilio self hatred is a direct consequence of the colonial legacy around the world. Trujulio, Balaguer and host of other Dominicans sincerely believe that they have to keep their "racial integrity unaltered." They maintains that the Haitians are primitives,savages, illiterates and the Dominican culture is at the antipodes of the Haitian culture.Those vacuous arguments contravene established facts.The pretentious concepts of their racial integrity is preposterous owing the fact that most Dominicans have Haïtian blood and in case of doubt a DNA test will convince them otherwise.
In terms of savagery I think the Dominican restaurants typify that word with their music over 110 decibels or more.
True,illiteracy rate is still high in Haïti but the Haïtian fund of general knowledge is higher than the Dominican because Dominican has a morbid penchant for entertainment.No matter where you go on this planet,you will find Haitian intellectual.

Barbarism!!!! We have had enough!!!

I am appalled by this act of barbarism !!! and i am really frustrated particularly with the haitian government that has never taken up diplomatic actions with the so-called dominican neighbors or any other country!!!!

This is downright an act of barbarism!!! WE HAITIANS HAVE HAD ENOUGH AND WILL NOT AND CAN NOT BE TOLERATED ANY LONGER!!!!!

JUSTICE FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS MUST SERVE!!!!!

When Modern Slavery reign.

Why do Dessalines gives his life,and his genius.intelligence?? Why the Haitians independence, and slave revolt for the whole Island is never thought in any schools in the DR? Do you ever wonder why?

Get educated do your own research.

my people

this is what happen when you put someone in power who did
not know what do to with the power given to him. Mr ariste distroyed the defense of the country for his own well being and we let him now look what's going on, we are getting kill in DR for no reason and noone can say anything. the army should be restore as soon as possible we are an independence country we should have an army. all these people we have in haity fighting for power it's time for them to get it going, no more delay now. and never should we put a fake priest in power again. i hope the people in power are listen.

RE: Dominican Republic's Violence Against Haitians

I hear you. I'm also fed up with this situation; it's killing me.
-Every time I go on youtube there always are some Dominicans expressing racial hatred against us. Calling us niggers, monkeys etc.
-Every time I see the faces of the young kids, I think about those who are being humiliating next door.
-Every time I see the pretty Haitian woman faces, I always think of those who're getting treated like trash in DR.

Rene Preval must know that he's not representing his Last name here but the Haitian people. He represents our ancestors, the children and our beautiful and strong men and women. To be Honest with you. I hated Aristide, and I also hate Preval...with all my heart. I will like him when he starts making some move.

As a president he needs to step up. He needs to work hard.
My mother (R.I.P) always told me whenever I need something, I should work hard to get it. I wish Preval Had a mother to teach him that instead of drinking all the time.

Preval should know the white man that he's waiting for to do something for Haiti is the same white man we helped fight to fix his country, and that same white invaded our country in 1915,1994,2004. No one can help Haiti but us.

Therefore, we should be the one to unite. We also need help from Preval to unite us and get us to work.

How will he get us to work? By firing Texaco and shell, and allow other gas companies to come to Haiti.Tell the UN we do not need its intervention in Haiti. What we need is engineers to build roads, we need create Jobs, we need to destroy Cite Soleil and create some nice housings. The garbage trucks should work on a daily basis so the cities stay clean. Put Garbage cans everywhere, and when the tourists start to get attracted by the beauty of our land, they will come, invest, and create jobs like super markets; stores like walmart, walgreens and so forth. This is when our sisters and brothers who are getting treated badly by the neighbor would come home to help our community.

If he could stop drinking maybe he would have thought about that.

P.S: I'm in college and I don't have enough money. I created my website because I expect to make money on the upcoming years so I can help others back home. I love my country so much; if there was an army in Haiti I would leave the U.S to go serve my country until I die. If there is a way I can help, please and please let me know...

http://notebookblogz.com

The real story!

You failed to mention that that same haitian that was beheaded, beheaded a dominican man the day before!!!

Do you still feel the same?
Are you going to accese the haitian man of xenophibia?
Are you going to demand that all haitians pay for what he did?!