29903: Morse (comment) Preval - Laforest (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

oloffsonram@aol.com

Two Fridays before Carnival 1998 I received, at the Oloffson, a visit from then 
President Preval, his then wife, and Bob Manuel, who was chief of police at the 
time. I went out front to say hello and to my surprise, the President asked me 
what my plans were for carnival. The year before, my carnival float, which I 
had financed myself, was taken apart at gun point. I told the President that I 
had bought four tickets to take the wife and kids to Disney in Orlando. He told 
me that the Haitian people wanted me to participate in Carnival and he asked me 
what it would cost. I told him if I went out, my life would be in danger. We 
left it at that.

The next day I received a visit from Madame President and the President's 
sister. Once again I told them that going out would endanger my life. Madame 
President asked me if I was refusing her. I looked her in the eye, paused, and 
told her, "You want me to go out, I'll go out, but I just want you to know that 
nothings going to happen to me". Her faced turned red and she left.

The following Tuesday I met with my chief of security, Gerard Laforest. I told 
him I was being forced to go out for carnival and I would need 10 armed men on 
my float because I thought there was going to be an attempt on my life. 
Laforest looked me in the eye and asked me what else I would need. I said "you 
tell me". He said, I'll go to the Palace, the police and the mayor's office and 
I'll come back and give you a report.

Two days later, Thursday, Laforest came back and told me he had been to the 
palace, the police and the Mayor's office and he felt that 10 men wouldn't be 
enough to provide security for me. There would be an attempt on my life. He 
told me he would provide the 10 armed men on the float and that he would also 
surround the float with men on foot. He, Laforest, would be at the "point" in 
front of the truck (float).

I called the American Embassy and talked to Mr Bash. I wanted to make sure at 
least some one knew what was going on.

I only received half the money promised. I assume Madame President took the 
other half, probably figuring I wouldn't need it.

The float didn't go out on Sunday, the first day of carnival. Technical 
difficulties and a problem with the driver. We did go out the second day, 
"Lundi Gras", with a different driver. When we got to Champ de Mars, a bunch of 
people got off the float, saying they were meeting people there on the ground. 
I thought it strange. Champ de Mars is the peak of Carnival. Some one asked me 
if I was going to continue. I said we're not through yet.

The float came to a full stop in front of the REX Theatre, just before the last 
turn. We began playing our carnival song for the Mayor's stand and before we 
were through the engine roared and the float took off running over people. As 
we entered the last turn it seemed as though the driver was trying to pick up 
enough speed to flip the float. Laforest was out front trying to get people out 
of the way. A journalist from The Times in England who was on the float 
described it this way a couple of years later:

(The Times Tuesday August 15, 2000)   "....the truck suddenly lurched forward 
and gathered speed alarmingly. We careened around a corner, clipped a Lamppost, 
and ploughed straight into the crowd. There was no escape. The night air filled 
with screams and the crushing of bones, a sound I shall never forget. Six 
people were killed instantly and three more died later in the hospital. Another 
forty were seriously injured..."

Laforest was killed. I saw saw it on the film footage we have. He went under 
the truck and was dragged until the truck came to a stop wedged between a tree 
and a pickup truck. He died saving people's lives

My wife and I took our costumes off and lay down inside the float. People lay 
down on top of us to protect us. We were expecting a hail of bullets.

President Preval never said anything to me about the incident. Neither did Bob 
Manuel, the Chief of Police. The driver I'm told spent two weeks in jail saying 
once that he lost his brakes and saying another time that the accelerator was 
stuck. I hear he was given a visa to Panama and he went away after his two week 
incarceration.

Ah yes, it's carnival season again in Haiti.... The Ministry of Culture still 
doesn't understand that we're just promoting Haitian Culture. They're promoting 
DJ's. It should be called the Ministry of Hypocrisy.


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