17848: Ray: Concerning danger in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Matt Ray <mraymus@yahoo.com>

All,

These are comments from that Canadian radio journalist in Haiti after an email to him asking how things are in Haiti.   it was dated today, January 11th, 2004.

Hi,
Have just come back from two days in the country...completly and i mean fully peaceful. i was in Les Cayes and then in a small village....for two days i did not see a cop, not a gun. the elderly fellow guarding the door at the hotel had a stick...and we joked about his hitting me with it, boom boom.

back a few minutes ago from a demonstration against Aristide.  A hundred thousand people singing and so on. guarded by the police. no incidents at all.  There is not any danger here at all except during the demos, and i doubt you will be doing that stuff. the burning tires, the shooting and so on only takes place there. other than that i have seen  absolutely nothing that is at all dangerous.

People are so happy to meet you, be helped, help you, i have been in rich neighbourhoods, poor neighbourhoods, walked in all kinds of places and no problems. of course one does not go looking for danger - i would not walk alone in Cite Soleil for exemple...but then i would not walk alone in all sorts of places in New York City or San Diego...etc.
Haitians are extremely peaceful and friendly...what one sees on the news is the demos, not the million people around the dead guy carrying on with their lives....

Sure it is possible there will be many more demos over the next few weeks, tires burned, people shot. But that is a very specific thing: a demo where people confront eachother
(mostly young men)....  But working away in an orphanage you are fine. Shopping you are fine, walking through neighoburhoods on your way to buying fruit is wonderful.

Will the government fall?
Maybe.
Were the gas stations closed yesterday to protest the govt. yes.
did life fall apart? no.
Was there a genereal strike last week for two days?
yes.
did Haiti shut down?
No. it was just a little harder to find french bread.
Send this on to whoever....and i am looking forward to seeing you all....



Matt Ray
Volunteer Webmaster & Translator
Healing Hands for Haiti Foundation, Inc.
4212 Danube Court, Bakersfield CA 93308
http://www.healinghandsforhaiti.org
mraymus@yahoo.com
661.588.4400 - phone
801.516.0168 - efax