UN official: Resettlement program needed in Haiti

BOSTON (AP) — A United Nations refugee official says he hopes that a resettlement system develops soon to aid some Haitians who need protection and relocation.

Vincent Cochetel was recently appointed U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' representative for the U.S. and the Caribbean. Cochetel was in Boston on Thursday, where he told The Associated Press that the Haitian resettlement system could help displaced earthquake victims who have recently become victims of sexual violence.

Some US rebuilding money finally headed to Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE — The first portion of U.S. reconstruction money for Haiti is on its way more than seven months after it was promised to help the country rebuild from the Jan. 12 earthquake.

The U.S. government will transfer $120 million – about one-tenth of the total amount pledged – to the World Bank-run Haiti Reconstruction Fund in the next few days, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

``Having completed the process as outlined in the appropriation, we are now moving aggressively to commit that money to Haiti's reconstruction,'' Crowley said.

Two Haitian-American teens killed on Dorchester street

Two young men of Haitian descent were found shot to death on the same Dorchester street this week. Emmanuel Louissaint, 17, of Brockton was found shot to death outside of 64 Mascot Street on Sunday morning around 1 a.m. He had been shot once in the upper chest. Two days later, on Tuesday morning, police were called to the driveway of 63 Mascot Street— right across the street from the scene of the earlier murder— where they discovered the body of 19 year-old Nervin Charlot. He was also shot, but it is not yet clear if he was murdered in the same incident that claimed the life of Louissaint.

The Last Swing of the Pendulum

Patrick SylvainPatrick Sylvain“Let us learn together and laugh together and work together and pray together, confident that in the end we will triumph together in the right.” — Jimmy Carter, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1977

All republics that embrace democracy as a form of political governance are constantly faced with a daunting challenge. They must determine how best to appease the desires, and address the needs of the people, within the boundaries of the evolving state so that all groups can be brought into the political sphere. In other words, these states must consistently meet the demands of the citizenry.

Strong voice in Mass, struggles persist in Haiti

The fall brings many things to the Haitian community. A local election in which Mattapan residents, a huge contingent of whom are of Haitian descent, proved themselves to be a force at the polls. Governor Deval Patrick won a second term. He’ll have a chance to fulfill a campaign pledge to develop a comprehensive housing strategy for thousands of displaced Haitians in the commonwealth. Carlos Henriquez, a dedicated community advocate, succeeds the first Haitian-American elected official in the state Marie St. Fleur, to represent the 5th Suffolk district.

Haiti's Flawed Elections: They Told Us So

Voices from across the political spectrum in both Haiti and the United States, joined by human rights groups, and most importantly, Haitian voters—have warned both Haitian and U.S. government that the deeply flawed elections in Haiti currently scheduled for November 28 risk putting the country into turmoil and endangering our investment in reconstruction. But both the U.S. and Haitian Administrations refuse to listen.

Who will be Haiti’s next president?

BHR 11-10BHR 11-10The date scheduled for the first round of Haiti’s presidential and parliamentary elections, November 28, is racing towards the island. Simultaneously Cholera is racing across the countryside in the Artibonite, the Central Plateau and beyond, and Hurricane Tomas raced up the Caribbean, lashing the South of the country and cutting off all towns below Leogane from the capital. The Provisional Electoral Council maintains that they are doing everything they can to prepare, and that they are moving ahead on schedule. But serious doubts have been raised about the timetable.

Even before these crises Haiti had many obstacles to legitimate and credible elections. The voter list has not been updated since 2005, so many people who lost their lives in the earthquake are still on the list, which could facilitate electoral fraud. Many Haitians are not registered to vote, or lost their identification cards in the earthquake. For months long lines have snaked out from the National Identification Offices as people tried to fix their paper work—though the lines continued even after the publication of the voter list, and many Haitians seek identity cards to go to the bank or to deal with the police, not just to vote.

Wheelock College to host forum on Nov. 18

Wheelock College's International Education Week turns its focus on Haiti on Nov. 18 with a forum featuring the college's president, Jackie Jenkins-Scott and Carole Berotte-Joseph, president of MassBay Community College. They will share their reflections from a recent trip to Haiti. Moderated by Gisele Michel, Executive Director of Boston Center for Community Justice, the conversation will provide insight on challenges facing the country and opportunities to support rebuilding efforts.

Haiti braces for Hurricane Tomas; evacuations underway

Confusion, fear as Haiti camps evacuate for storm
PORT-AU-PRINCE— For nearly 10 months, more than 1 million people in Haiti's earthquake camps have been walking a precarious line: Trying to get out and find good homes without losing their tents and the few possessions they still have.

Now a potential hurricane threatens to upend that careful balance. The Haitian

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