The not-so-quiet riots

Today it was finally safe enough to venture out on the streets to Chambrun. On the way out we saw remnants of the protests from the previous day all over the place. At almost every intersection there were piles of burnt black rubber and metal treading. Some were still smoldering. The streets were covered in a deep black colored ash from the tires and many who were out an about wore face masks to keep the tire smoke and ash from entering their lungs. We saw multiple barricades that had been broken down and moved to the side, just wide enough for a car to break through. We even saw a totally burned out SUV that I was told was a brand new $60,000 United Nations vehicle just the day before. It was quite a site to see. Aaron got to experience a bit of it first hand when, driving back to Port au Prince from Chambrun yesterday, he came upon a barricade in the street and as he slowed down, rocks rained from the sky. He immediately hit the gas and jumped the barricade, sending the truck airborne. The truck landed safely back on the other side and they sped off with the only damage being a large dent in the top of the truck cab.

I have to say that it saddens me to see this happening. The whole election was doomed to fail from the beginning. A fair election in the country of Haiti seems like a pipe dream. This is a country still reeling from a huge earthquake and a large outbreak of cholera. This is a country that is filled with political greed and injustice. How can an election not fail under those circumstances? There are allegations of fraud, mostly against one candidate who is endorsed by the current president.

It saddens me to see the reaction to the seemingly unfair election results. People out burning things, throwing rocks at cars, and injuring people. For what reason? It is hard for those in the U.S. to imagine this, but I think most of these rioters have nothing to lose. They are so downtrodden that there is little to lose, so why not express your anger and hatred? Now, I don’t think it is right or accomplishes any good, but I guess I understand a little of why it may happen. The only problem is that those rioting are just hurting themselves. Both literally and figuratively. They are actually physically hurting people. People who are their neighbors. And when they burn down a grocery store, the next time they go to buy food the prices have gone up to help the shopkeeper cover the loss. They lose. They burn a UN vehicle and compromise the potential for foreign aid. They lose. But what can you do? In a country reeling from lack of education and resources, these things aren’t easily understood. Like many issues in the world, the problems are large. No, they are GINORMOUS! One day at a time. One person at a time. One prayer at a time, leads down the road to recovery.