Return from Haiti

[KingBob]

A friend of mine returned from Haiti recently and I need to
share what he had to say:

SMALL FIRST STEP ON A LONG JOURNEY: REFORMING THE PRISON IN
JERAMIE, HAITI

Upon entering the yard within the prison walls at Jeramie,
Haiti, one is overwhelmed by sensory input: the smell of human
waste, the feel of the heat, the stickiness of one’s steps on
the filthy prison ground, the sight of the inmates’ arms
vainly reaching for freedom through the bars of the cell
blocks, and the sounds of the wails emanating there from. The
sensory overload is staggering and life changing.

In mid April, 2010, I was blessed with the opportunity to
travel to Western Haiti with a group of Catholic missionary
workers from South Louisiana who form a NGO non-profit called
Haiti Mission, Inc. When I first contacted them in March, I
explained that I wanted to hitch a ride with them so as to
acquaint myself with Catholic Superior School of Law and to
look into the conditions at the jail in Jeramie. They more
than accommodated me; they were the key to success.

I say “Catholic missionary workers” because these people were
not in Haiti to pander their faith through words, but to
joyfully live it through their deeds. Over the past dozen or
so years, this small group of peace makers has drilled fresh
water wells in the towns and hamlets, built and funded three
schools, established a pig farm, and have given the
communities where they toil the best of what America has to
offer; of themselves. Soon, they will complete work on a
chicken farm for laying hens and a bakery designed to feed
children who attend their schools. They give away pigs,
donkeys, and goats. They encourage agriculture and commerce.
They are absolutely selfless. And they made me, a
non-Catholic, feel comfortable and accepted despite our
different political and religious views. We found common
ground and worked together.

The good will generated by Haiti Mission, Inc. (“HMI”)
rendered my own mission not only plausible, but achievable.
Upon my return to camp following my first visit to the prison,
I met with Lloyd Duplantis, the director of HMI, and described
my initial observations based upon a tour of the facilities
and interviews with four inmates: incredibly overcrowded
cells; men, women, and children housed side by side;
disgusting “kitchen facilities”; stagnant open sewage; the
lack of electricity….. At the conclusion of the meeting, HMI
had launched a prison ministry and it was on.

One of the wells recently drilled by HMI, with funding from
the Seton Hall School of Law, stands just outside of the
prison in the slum neighborhood which surrounds it. Within
three days of my first visit, HMI, with the assistance of the
local Catholic leadership, including Father Jomanas Eustache,
dean of the law school, had managed to tie a water line from
the Seton Hall well into the prison yard…running water there
for the first time in history. I fought back tears as I washed
my face in the flow from the bare PVC pipe in front of the
cell blocks.

The clean up was in full force. The fecal matter had been
scrubbed away and the smell of the place was transformed from
that of death and despair to one of hope and promise. The
attitude of the guards was much improved and the prisoners
seemed just a bit less desperate.

We arrived with the Catholic Bishop and several priests in tow
to dedicate the well and to deliver worm pills, multivitamins,
sandwiches, and soda pop to the inmates. Because I had so much
heat with me; i.e., the Bishop, I pushed the envelope and as
the prisoners each left their cells, I was able to videotape
each one individually for future documentation. I was also
able, with all of the activity in the yard, to conduct brief
video interviews with several English speaking detainees.

Being the cynic that I am, I suspected that much of the clean
up I saw that day was for the benefit of the local clergy in
attendance. Accordingly, the next evening, I arrived
unannounced at the jail under the auspices of delivering
soccer balls, flashlights, and playing cards to the guards as
thank you gifts. I am grateful to be able to report that, at
least on that night, the clean up continued unabated.

I write today seeking financial support to continue in these
efforts. HMI has agreed to help me with coordinating future
services including running water lines to each of the cells,
providing worm pills and multivitamins, dental services, and
creature comforts to the prisoners, many of whom are detained
without charges or convictions. Small donations go a long way
with strong charities. HMI’s administrative overhead is put
ten percent of their income.

Please consider forwarding a tax deductible check in any
amount to Haiti Mission, Inc., Post Office Box 694, Thibodaux,
Louisiana 70302. Please note “Prison Ministry” on your check.
For more information, visit their website at
www.haitimissioninc.com .

Here lies an opportunity to serve humanity in a most
meaningful way.

Onward.

Buddy Spell is a felony defense lawyer, peace activist, and
human rights advocate from Covington, LA.
He may soon also be a Catholic….

[secondwind]

1. What a moving post.........K&R