One would assume that the first nation in the history of the world, to have a liberation struggle of the majority of the people, from slavery
and then liberate themselves long before the unites States from colonial opression,
would be in the front of the minds and hearts of every Black nation and organization on the planet
Published on Friday, May 7, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
The Urgency of Housing in Haiti
by Beverly Bell
"Everything we owned got smashed. We lost everything."
Getro Nelio was not referring to the devastating earthquake of January 12. The unemployed, 24-year-old Haitian was speaking about losing his home a second time in three months, on this occasion due to the government. Since late March, armed Haitian police have been closing camps and destroying the shelters that quake victims created out of whatever supplies they could scavenge, from cardboard to small strips of tin. U.N. troops sometimes aid in the evictions.
The expulsions and renewed homelessness come at a time of growing urgency for permanent, sturdy housing, with water, utilities, and sewer, where people can stabilize their lives and rebuild community. "Decent housing" is protected by both the Haitian constitution and the U.N. International Declaration of Human Rights.
Haitian government officials and international aid agencies have revealed no plan to meet these needs or fulfill these rights of the 1.3 million left displaced - one in nine citizens. Instead, rare public statements evidence conflicting strategies for limited, temporary initiatives.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/07
and then liberate themselves long before the unites States from colonial opression,
would be in the front of the minds and hearts of every Black nation and organization on the planet
Published on Friday, May 7, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
The Urgency of Housing in Haiti
by Beverly Bell
"Everything we owned got smashed. We lost everything."
Getro Nelio was not referring to the devastating earthquake of January 12. The unemployed, 24-year-old Haitian was speaking about losing his home a second time in three months, on this occasion due to the government. Since late March, armed Haitian police have been closing camps and destroying the shelters that quake victims created out of whatever supplies they could scavenge, from cardboard to small strips of tin. U.N. troops sometimes aid in the evictions.
The expulsions and renewed homelessness come at a time of growing urgency for permanent, sturdy housing, with water, utilities, and sewer, where people can stabilize their lives and rebuild community. "Decent housing" is protected by both the Haitian constitution and the U.N. International Declaration of Human Rights.
Haitian government officials and international aid agencies have revealed no plan to meet these needs or fulfill these rights of the 1.3 million left displaced - one in nine citizens. Instead, rare public statements evidence conflicting strategies for limited, temporary initiatives.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/07