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In This Issue:

• Talk Is Cheap: A Message from Father Jack
• A Letter from Our President
• International Day of Solidarity with Haiti
• Continuing Education - Haiti 101 (Notes from Andro Bonhomme)
• A Bittersweet Experience: Father Gene's August Visit to Haiti
• Elizabeth Detention Center
• Calendar Reminders
• Membership News and Special Announcements

Talk Is Cheap: A Message from Father Jack

As we arrive at another "school year", as our well-deserved vacation breaks wind down, as our world tries to "bounce back" from Iraq/ from London/ from the Gulf Coast disaster/ from Darfur…..from you name it,…..ACTION is the watchword. I love those words of the second Eucharistic prayer, where, right after the consecration, we pray, " We thank You for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you."

A Haitian proverb says, "Moun pale san fe, Bondye fe san pale." (People talk without acting. Good God acts without talking). Happily, most HSNNE folks have been graced to act, more so than to talk about it. From before our vacations, we can look back at a year full of service: many twinning delegations to our beloved Haiti; much hospitality to visitors and patients; the links between Seton Hall Law School /Jeremy; and St. Benedict's Prep/ College Notre Dame; the ocean container, the Ingersoll-Rand tractor to Haitian flood areas; joining in Jubilee Interfaith issues; support for AUMOHD'S human rights struggle; a lovely dinner dance; many letters to officials demanding prisoner release and peace, et cetera! Folks were busy and active.

We call on God's touch to empower us for another "busy year" of working to be a leaven in the midst of this careening world which, in God's plan, should look like God's Kindom unfolding. Let's go for it!

A Letter from the President of HSNNE

ME KNDOLEANS POU TOUT FRE AK SE NOU YO NAN LE SUD DE ZETA ZINI.

The Haiti Solidarity Network of the North East (HSNNE) salutes the people of New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and would like to extend our condolences to you. Although it is difficult to find the right words to express our feelings, your Haitian brothers and sisters, through HSNNE, want you to know that we are feeling your pain.

Because your situations are not foreign to us, we are going to ask you to "Kenbe Fem" "Hold on". Do not despair. God, the Creator, will come through for you. Be not afraid! I said Be Not Afraid but I am sitting in my living room shivering at the thought of losing everything husband, children, friends, pets, homes, memorabilia, familiar surroundings, etc. I do not know how I would cope. How I could outlive the overwhelming feelings you must be experiencing - All I can do is to say a prayer for you. I ask God to augment my faith and the faith of my suffering brothers and sisters. Indeed, God, today I ask that you grant our brothers and sisters affected by hurricane Katrina:

• the serenity to accept the things they cannot change
• the power to change what they can
• and the wisdom to know the difference….

The pain seen in the faces of the children, the elderly, the sick, the mother who could not feed her newborn, the amputee strained on the rooftop, the doctors who could not find the right tools or medicine to heal the wounded, the journalists who were frustrated by the lack of responses of those in charge; the savage gusty winds, water, debris and the fear in everyone's face who witnessed that deluge can only bring humility in us. Be it the devastation in Haiti or the rampant injustice in this country of plenty, the rich against the poor, the "looters", the "finders", white, black, we are all children of God. Today we are all traumatized and are mourning the losses.

As I watched the news over the past few days, it brought me so close to home, Haiti, where we have lost so much, so many lives and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. I cannot stop thinking of the many man-made and natural disasters inflicted on the Haitian people by both the international and domestic worlds. I also cannot comprehend the level of uncaring and even hatred that exists amongst us. When are we going to learn that nothing in life is permanent? When will we realize that wealth, money, power, all necessary evils, can disappear in a fire or another Katrina? Are politics worth the lives of the people in Cite Soleil or Bidonville? Will being in the upper or lower class in Haiti save our lives? How much money do we need to be exempted from the Katrina-like natural disasters?

May you ponder on the above questions! Haitian people and friends of Haiti, wake up, let us look deep within our hearts and seriously think about "Kolé têt bati kay" for a better Haiti and a better world.

Georgette Delinois,
President

September 30, 2005: International Day of Solidarity with Haiti

On September 30th, HSNNE organized a "Speak Out for Haiti" at the Federal Building, 970 Broad Street, Newark, NJ. Guy Anoine was one of the speakers.

For a report on the rally and additional photos, visit our new HSNNE in Action page ofweb sitebsite.

Continuing Education - Haiti 101

Notes from Andro Bonhomme....

During an internship at St. Joseph Social Service Center this summer, I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Washington, D.C. entitled "Haiti: The Deepening Crisis". At the orientation for the internship, Sister Edie said, "Kay would be delighted to meet you," when she discovered I was from Haiti. (I came to the United States with my family when I was ten years old. At this time, my family lives in Newark, NJ and I'm a senior at the University of Notre Dame.)

In a short amount of time, Kay and I got in contact and I drove to meet her at her convent in Newark. We discussed our affiliations with Haiti. Mine was clear but Sister had to tell me of hers. I came to discover she was much more informed and aware of social-political infrastructures concerning Haiti than I was.

While conversing, Sister Kay mentioned the conference in D.C. that might be of interest to me. I wanted to be informed and I wanted to go if there was more space available. Arrangements were made and I drove down to D.C. that Monday morning. It took six hours before I arrived inside the Cannon House Office Building. Although I was late, I was happy to learn from a journalist in the audience that I hadn't missed too much.

One of the significant events of the conference came from Maxime Waters, a Congressional representative from California, who is very interested in Haiti. A main point she stressed was to put the blame for Haiti's destabilization where it belonged. She documented instances where involvement from foreign countries such as the United States, France and Canada resulted in repressing rather than alleviating the country's conditions. She believed that the United States was specifically responsible for the most current crisis- from kidnapping President Aristide early one morning to providing rebels with ammunition because Haiti does not have any arms industries. It may be logical to follow why rebels rose against President Aristide. Granted he was not able to uphold promises he expressed during election, but the reason he was not able to keep them is because he could not get the aid he needed from countries like the United States, France and Canada.

In conclusion, Representative Waters brought an insider's knowledge to the overall scandalous reports average people like you and I received from the media. I too, agree with Representative Waters. The blame ought to be put where it belongs. It is morally the right thing to do.

Editor's note: Andro brought me a booklet he picked up at the Conference- "America: A Freedom Country" by the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. The book contains "powerful and compelling stories of courage and triumph"(of asylum seekers) to use Senator Edward Kennedy's assessment. One detainee S.A. shares his experience:

"I chose U.S. because I believe this country is Freedom Land, Justice Land and Human Rights Land. But when I came I was locked up in detention with no freedom, no justice, no human rights. I agreed to be in this book because I want American people to know my story. Americans are good people and most of them don't know that [immigration officials] lock up people like me."

Remember the detainees in the Elizabeth Detention Center! Join the IRATE march Oct. 9th from 2:00-3:00pm. Meet at Dowd and Progress Sts.

A Bittersweet Experience: Pè Gene Squeo on His August Trip to Haiti

I was fortunate to be able to visit Haiti from August 9th - 14th. I spent a few days in Port-au-Prince with Evel Fanfan and then a brief stay with Père Rony Fabien in Jacmel. Each visit to Haiti is a bittersweet experience for me. On the one hand, I stay with and encounter wonderful people, individuals of deep faith, persons of joy and great appreciation for God's blessings. At the same time, I am distressed by the desperate poverty and lack of basic necessities. Even more distressing is the knowledge of how greatly US foreign policy contributes to the suffering of the Haitian people.

While I was in Port-au-Prince, outgoing US Ambassador James Foley issued a statement decrying the continued imprisonment of Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and calling his fourteen month detention a human rights violation. Neptune was arrested without charges and so far, no evidence has been presented against him. Foley also condemned the sudden release from prison of twice convicted death squad leader, Louis-Jodel Chamblain. Foley called the release of the notorious killer a scandal. Chamblain was one of the leaders of FRAPH, a paramilitary group responsible for some 3,000 deaths after a military coup ousted Aristide in 1991 during his first presidency.

Foley's statement is consistent with the conviction of most Americans that US foreign policy should support human rights and condemn rights abuses. Sadly, Foley's statement is at odds with Bush Administration's record in regard to Haiti. Rather than support Haiti's imperfect, yet fledgling, democracy, the Bush Administration chose to foment and fund an opposition that lacked broad based popular support. When the opportunity arose, the Administration chose to force President Aristide into exile and installed an interim government to its liking. Disregarding the Haitian Constitution, the Bush Administration selected longtime Florida resident Gerard Latortue as Interim Prime Minister. For over one and half years, the Bush Administration has continued to support the Interim Government of Haiti in spite of ever escalating human rights abuses and outrages.

Haiti today is far worse off then at any time during the presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Haiti today is poorer, more violent and more desperate. Human rights abuses and atrocities are commonplace. Extrajudicial killings are the norm. Every day in poor neighborhoods, innocent people are being killed by an uncontrollable and brutal police force which increasingly is utilizing civilian attachés to do their killing.

The Bush Administration can no longer blindly support Haiti's Interim Government. The Administration now, more than ever, needs a foreign policy that is consistent in upholding democratic principles, including the right of self-determination, respect for the rule of law, support of human rights and rejection of impunity. The Administration can start by insisting not only on the release of Yvon Neptune but of all Haitian political prisoners, by urging the Interim Government to stop police repression in the poor neighborhoods and by supporting the calls for a national dialogue that includes the Lavalas Party still backed by the majority of Haiti's poor.

October 9th March: Remember there are detainees in the Elizabeth Detention Center!

Join the IRATE march Oct. 9th from 2:00-3:00pm. Meet at Dowd and Progress Sts.

Each month Sisters Jacinta Fernandez and Edie Cheyney and anyone helping them provide welcoming hospitality, which includes light refreshments and setting up chairs, for the HSNNE meetings. We see the magnitude of their work as they combine direct service and working for change in the systems that create and perpetuate poverty. It is no wonder that they are able to attract energetic and enthusiastic interns and volunteers to assist in their dedicated service to the homeless and poor.

Calendar Reminders

Meeting Calendar

HSNNE meets the second Tuesday of the month at St. Joseph Social Service Center, 118 Division Street, Elizabeth, NJ.

Upcoming meetings:

Remember: our November 8th (Election Day) meeting will feature a showing of Aristide and the Endless Revolution, the new film by Nicolas Rossier. For further information on this important documentary, see our special announcements.

HSNNE monthly prayer vigils are held every third Monday of the month at St. Patrick's Church, 492 Bramhall Ave.,Jersey City, NJ

Upcoming prayer vigils:

Membership News and Special Notes

• Congratulations are in order for Judy Reilly, HSNNE Treasurer and practicing attorney, who will be honored as marèn by ESDROJ Law School in Jeremie. Judy will travel with her husband, Chris, Father Charles Grandstand and Jack Egan on October 27th. The group will go to Vallieres before leaving Haiti on November 4th.
• Donations were sent to Evel Fanfan/AUMOHD to continue the group's work in investigating the massacres that took place at the soccer game and Grand Ravine on August 20th and 21st. Certification and autopsy of the bodies is expensive and necessary to bring the perpetrators to trial.
• Parishioners from Presentation Parish, Upper Saddle River, NJ are on a delegation to Cavaillon - Sept. 26th to Oct. 2nd.
• Dr. Susan Morrison's next delegation to Dame Marie will be on February 17th. A $10 fundraising for Haiti Pasta Dinner will be held on Saturday, October 15th at St. Catherine's, Mountain Lakes.
• Jubilee Interfaith Organization will hold its public meeting in Nutley on October 30th. Save the date. Check the website.
• The Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti posts an action every week -- Half Hour a Week for Haiti -- on ijdh.org. Action is needed.
• Office contact number is 201-437-0020 (Sister Kay).