Racism toward Haiti did not begin when racist idiot Trump called Haiti a “shithole.” Racism is U.S. policy!
Since Haiti’s victorious slave revolution, proclaimed in 1804 as the first Black nation, the U.S. has been Haiti’s oppressor. First by backing the French slave-owners and then by placing an embargo on revolutionary Haiti lasting 62 years!
Under Republicans, but mostly Democrats, Haiti has known U.S. imperialist occupations many times: 1915-1934, 1994, 2004 and again after the 2010 earthquake, each time violating Haiti’s sovereignty and keeping it in chains. The first U.S. Marine occupation killed up to 50,000 Haitian patriots, known as Cacos, who fought to expel the invader.
The first occupation changed Haiti’s revolutionary constitution to legalize foreign investment, instituted racist laws, and seized $500,000 from its banks. That occupation also resulted in the creation of a repressive, corrupt army trained by U.S. Marines. The Haitian army, and its allies in Haiti’s para-military, has robbed, tortured and murdered untold thousands of activists, labor leaders, political dissidents and ordinary Haitians.
Moreover, decades of U.S. support to Haitian dictators left Haiti at the mercy of a brutal, corrupt, pro-U.S. elite, as during the Duvalier era (1957-86) and its’ still in power.
In September 1991, a vicious military coup backed by the CIA (as revealed in the New York Times) toppled the democratically elected Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a liberal. After the coup, Bill Clinton expanded Bush Sr.’s illegal racist naval blockade against fleeing refugees – in clear violation of U.S. and international asylum law – to prevent losing votes to a racist backlash against the “Black Boat People.” A U.S.-led UN occupation in 1994 under Clinton restored Aristide but at the price of an imperialist occupation and an agreement with Aristide to pursue policies of the U.S. dominated World Bank, based on sweatshop labor and removing taxes on imports like rice, a Haitian staple. Imported U.S. rice ruined Haitian rice farmers.
A second bloody coup by CIA linked para-military forces toppled Aristide in ‘04 and another US/UN occupation followed. It shot up poor neighborhoods and attacked protestors. Finally, the occupation – itself a clear violation of the U.N. Charter – officially ended last October. In its place is a “new” army and an expanded police force of mostly former UN soldiers!
After the 2010 earthquake, billions in Haiti recovery funds were squandered by official aid coordinator Bill Clinton or just went missing in a maze of rip-off U.S. beltway companies and private non-governmental organizations. The Haitian government and/or Haitian companies were mostly ignored by Clinton and private U.S. corporations.
As Wikileaks revealed, the Clintons intervened in Haitian elections, pressuring election officials to up the status of the gangster-linked, pro-U.S. Michel Martelly, who became president 2011-16. Both Bill and Hillary promoted an economic policy based on foreign-based textile assembly sweatshops and resisting minimum wage protests. Wages rose from about $3 a day to about $5.23 a-day over time, except for assembly sweatshop workers who received even less-thanks to the Clintons!
For decades both Democratic and Republican Party presidents discriminated against Haitian refugees seeking asylum. In the 1980’s under Reagan, thousands of Black Boat people languished in detention, sometimes for years in the Krome Detention Center near Miami. The Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti viewed returnees as “dissidents.” In contrast, virtually all white Cubans and Eastern Europeans got instant asylum!
Lastly, scientific studies proved that the U.S.-led UN occupation dumped feces into a much used river in 2010, resulting in the cholera deaths of over 10,000 Haitians and infecting over 800,000. The U.S. CONSPIRED with the UN to cover it up. In court, Barack Obama’s attorneys backed the UN’s racist lie that the UN was not responsible when sued by victim’s families. Obama’s attorney even substituted for the UN attorney in court!
Today, Trump seeks to deport 60,000 Haitians who fled Haiti ravaged by cholera, an earthquake and hurricane Matthew and received Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Haiti is in no condition to receive deportees. Stop the racist deportations!
U.S. policy towards Haiti has always been racist! U.S./UN get out of Haiti! Citizenship rights now for all TPS Haitians!
JOIN THE REVOLUTION, JOIN SOCIALIST ACTION! ● (510) 268-9429 ● socialistaction@lmi.net, socialistaction.org
