Citizens vs. Government: The Crisis in Haiti

by with No Comment FeaturedGlobalPolitics

It has been three weeks since the assassination of Haitian President, Jovenel Moïse. The circumstances surrounding his death are evocative of a Tom Clancy novel with no clear answers, which begs to ask who is to blame and what is the fate of the political future of Haiti and its people?

July 7, 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was killed in his private residence by a group of Colombians (mercenaries) alongside other individuals that may or may not have been on the inside. Arrests were made, although it is unclear as to who hired the Colombians to carry out this task. Similar to Tom Clancy’s work, one major devastating event riddled with political repercussions, is designed to shed light onto deeper issues at hand.  

Violence, protests, and civil unrest are not uncommon for the people of Haiti. The rising instability of the country has given headway to forge the path of a soon to be dictatorship. The circumstances surrounding his assassination may be unclear; however, what isn’t unclear is the state of unrest of the Haitian leading up to his death. His death is one of the many threats to Haiti’s democracy; but the livelihood and well-being of the people of Haiti leaves me wondering if the US should get involved.

Without a fully functioning government, gangs openly run rampant through the streets displacing many Haitians who now have to live in schools as their homes are now reduced to ash. Serious challenges such as increase in gang violence, shortages of food, ill equipped hospitals, and with Haiti being one of the least vaccinated countries, the United States can make efforts to help restore a sense of calm in the country, yet their involvement should be limited. 

Undoubtedly the U.S. has made some significant financial contributions and support to Haiti, there are issues that remain at large for this country that is spiraling deeper into a world of chaos. While I do believe that the US government should get off their ass to actually support Haiti, there is only so much that should be done.  

The Biden-Harris Administration released a statement indicating ways they are supporting Haiti. They included: assistance in the investigation on the attack; over $300 million in security assistance and infrastructure; as well as providing temporary protected status due to the lack of access to food, water, and healthcare (prior to Moïse’s assassination). This support was an attempt to counter a decision made by the Trump Administration in 2017, which ended special protections for the Haitian people despite indications that it was not safe for many of them to return home following the devastating 2010 earthquake. Despite the new administration’s efforts, the country has seen an increase in protests, violent acts, and kidnappings ever since Jovenel Moïse halted elections, which would’ve kept him in office for an additional year (2022). This move angered and ignited protests against the government calling for the president to abdicate his responsibilities as they felt he had unlawfully extended his term. Unrest has intensified as the U.S. government supported this move to remain in power until 2022, a move that ultimately place some responsibility on the United States.

Considering the state of Haiti today in the wake of this assassination, there are no clear answers as to what should be done. Perhaps that is the reason the US has stalled on requests for troops to help establish a sense of order simply because they have absolutely no idea what to do without causing further unrest. I don’t believe that US involvement in governmental affairs such as the electoral process would be beneficial, but restoring order might be a possibility. It is the Haitian people who deserve their voices to be heard and decide who their next leader will be. The events of weeks past, like a Tom Clancy novel, leaves me more confused with no answers, and unfortunately waiting for the next book in the series of the ongoing crisis in Haiti.

Similar Read: “Sending Them Back To An Impoverished Land Is Simply Cruel!”

Dictators Are Not Communists

by with No Comment FeaturedGlobalPoliticsSocial Issues

Not that Communism is the best system to have as the primary economic engine, but it’s important to note that no economic system exists in a vacuum. So when someone points to the failures of a particular country’s economy as “proof their system does not work,” it seems a bit misguided; especially when said country is in actuality a dictatorship.

When the dictators are doing right by the people, the country flourishes. When they are making bad decisions for their people, nothing can stop them and the country suffers. When the people attempt to rebel, they are squashed, imprisoned, executed.

Much of Cuba’s current economic crisis is being blamed on the US Trade Embargo. This obviously factors into the country’s current shortage of food and medical supplies, but at the heart of Cuba’s current misfortune is a government that values power more than its people.

A centralized economy (like a dictatorship) can function if it is making the right choices for its citizens. However, considering how susceptible a government-run economy is to corruption and favoritism, decisions aren’t always made in the best interests of the entire country. A free market is meant to mitigate the poor judgment of political leaders: the people know best what and who is needed so they sort out jobs, resources, supply, and demand on their own.

Vietnam found a way to maintain a Communist government, but embrace some free market enterprise in the mid 80s. It’s reported 30,000+ private businesses were created since then, their economy has flourished, and relations with the US started to normalize in the 90s.

So, where Vietnam succeeded, Cuba seems to be failing. The Castros have “good intentions” for their… people (is “subjects” too cynical?). But when they needed the foresight to understand how a global pandemic would damage their economy and possibly require some major changes, they maintained their status quo. This is why their people are protesting; they have no power to demand accountability from their government (dictators). They can’t vote to change their system. They can’t do anything except literally live and die by the whims of their leaders.

And so maybe Communism isn’t the enemy. Maybe trying to exist outside of the influence of Multi-National Corporations isn’t the enemy. Perhaps Malignant Narcissism is the enemy. Anyone that is not accountable to anyone and believes themselves to be infallible, that person is dangerous and whether they are the leader of a Communist Country, or the President of the United States, they can do serious damage to a multitude of people.

The economic system of the country matters not if the leader is self serving and uses their political position to consolidate power, destroy enemies, and enrich themselves and their allies. As more and more information comes to light, it seems this was happening in the very Capitalist United States of America under the Trump regime.

Now, perhaps Capitalism is the system least susceptible to corruption and so Trump is an anomaly, but to view the U.S. as purely Capitalist is a misconception.

Here’s why: 

-A large amount of our manufacturing and debt come from China (a Communist country). This means we are at least in that regard participating in a Communist system to some extent – we are x percent Communist.

-The entire concept of Insurance is communist in nature: “From each according to their means, to each according to their needs.”

-Any tax-funded job is technically Socialism (army, police, fire, infrastructure, social work, etc.).

The point is: We should be very specific about what is working and what is not so we can create the best situation for everyone.

It is truly malignant narcissism in leadership that ruins countries and economies (as well as families and businesses).

The Free Market has proven to be an incredible mechanism when not being abused or corrupted. Communist and Socialist mechanisms can be implemented efficiently when overseen by Democratic institutions.

Dictatorships are never the best system as they prevent accountability and change for the better. Cuba’s current protests are happening for that reason.

Turning Blind Eye to Corruption in Criminal Justice System

by with No Comment FeaturedGen Z

“Corrupt cop” seems less like an oxymoron and more like the average American law enforcement officer nowadays. Despite 2018 being the year of exposés of sexual predators in Hollywood, music production, and government, it is unlikely for normal people who hold positions of authority to have their unethical behavior exposed, let alone be fired. Sexual offenders are being exposed and condemned left and right, but criminal justice offenders are being given empty warnings and paychecks.

In the criminal justice system, spotlight cases like those of Meek Mill help shine a light on the injustices that can occur when the traditional power structure hasn’t been or isn’t able to be challenged. Meek was arrested by Philadelphia police officer Reginald Graham in 2007 who then testified against him during trial in 2008 convicting the rapper of drug charges. Despite Meek’s arrest and conviction, the credibility of Graham was questioned during the case as he is a resident on a District Attorney’s Office list of “police officers with clouded credibility.” Not only was Graham’s credibility questioned; but two officers, Walker and Gibson, who were operating under Graham at the time of the arrest, were arrested in 2014 for federal corruption charges and in 2015 for robbing a suspect, respectively. 

Whether or not this clouded credibility affected Meek’s arrest leading to his conviction is unclear, but the fact that the District Attorney keeps a list of corrupt cops is insulting to the freedom and fairness that Philadelphians and Americans across the country deserve. Why do we allow incompetent evil people to run our country by their own accord with no repercussions or push back? Acknowledging the unethical behavior of an officer who carries a gun designed to kill anyone who doesn’t comply and can decide the fate of citizen’s lives is shocking. 

Even more shocking, there are hundreds of cases like these that occur under the radar of the media. Infamous tales of those like Chicago cop Ronald Watts have been widely known in small communities where everyone is familiar with the injustice of the criminal justice system as well as the person who brings the injustice. Notwithstanding the common knowledge of corruption in this community in Chicago, it took until 2018 when Watts had already retired for 32 of his convictions to be thrown out. Although this seems like a well-deserved victory for those working on the Exoneration Project, there is still a need for the examination of approximately 500 convictions Watts made from 2004-2012 alone.

Similar to fairy tales and folklore there are always warnings of the bad men to stay away from, but you never hear about betrayal by someone who is supposed to protect and help grow the community they are a part of. Many Americans are fighting back and not letting this be the story that future generations will grow up listening to. There are many opportunities to right the wrongs done in this world by injustice, and it can start with holding people in positions of power accountable for their actions.

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References:

Gonnerman, Jennifer. (2018). How One Woman’s Fight to Save Her Family Helped Lead to a Mass Exoneration. The New Yorker, May 28, 2018 issue.

Mitchell, Max. (2018). Stakes Rise for Meek Mill as Post-Conviction Hearing Is Set to Open. The Legal Intelligencer, June 15, 2018. 

The Maybach Music of Policing

by with 2 Comments Uncategorized

“A bad police department is much like a bad sports team. The first victory is won in the front office. The first sign of a good police department is in city hall.” – Trae Lewis, a former Baltimore City Police Officer

In previous articles for The LCR, I promised to never use another Training Day reference. I wished I hadn’t, for this article centers around police misconduct and corruption; and what better movie to highlight police misconduct and corruption than Training Day. However, I was actually a cop for possibly the most profiled police department in recent memory for all the wrong reasons, the Baltimore City Police Department. Yes, I was a real cop for Baltimore City. To quote Rick Ross, “I knew Noriega, the real the Noriega,” for Rick Ross his emphasis was on the validity of his drug connects. I know – bad example to highlight police corruption especially when a lot of their recent corruption centers around drugs being planted on people. Well, Rick Ross is currently under critical medical care, and I’m wishing him well. Plus it’s just a cool line.



Anyway, as opposed to those who speak on police misconduct, corruption, and brutality via the voice of an observer or an unfortunate victim, I can speak on the subject from the experience of being a cop for more than five years.

 To quote another Rick Ross line, “It’s deeper than rap.” 

Historically speaking, the face of police corruption is a white male cop wrongfully beating, arresting, or doing anything you can think of to mistreat a person. This is very true. The business end of police corruption has been black people, largely young black males. The doer of the business has been white males; however, many principles came into play before that outcome. 

Get ready for a very complicated explanation. Just like how Rick Ross somehow was a major drug pusher, yet his previous job before becoming a successful rapper was one of a correctional officer. ? 

People question the abuse of police against citizens, especially young black males. The answer begins with the entity that empowers the police, for they themselves mistreat citizens, especially young black males. From lack of funding for proper education, carelessness for environmental standards (cough Flint, Michigan), gross gentrification, and countless other traits of a badly ran town, city, state, and federal government including the administration. Furthermore, find me a municipality with government corruption, mismanagement of resources, etc., and I’ll bet dollars to donuts that their police department is responsible for many of the notable negative incidents in its past.

This, of course, does not excuse the acts of blatant wrongdoing of some police officers. However, it’s hard to expect an efficient and properly managed police force when their city hall is messed up from the floor up. 

A department like Baltimore City police is tasked with “cleaning up the city” with none of the underbelly social structures needed to help neighborhoods. A major lack of planning from city hall. So the result, as we saw in the early 2000s with Baltimore, was a war of attrition. The city thought it could literally arrest itself out of its problems. In the mid-2000s, Baltimore police arrested over a 100,000 people yearly and the city only had a little over 600,000 citizens to begin with. The theory of arresting as many people as possible to stop the wrongdoing obviously had no merit, most arrests were bogus. The arrests stretched the boundaries of what’s considered lawful – like the arrest of Freddie Grey, and the result is… well, everything from planted guns and drugs on people to officers on the take.

As Rick Ross said, “God forgives and I don’t,” and though I don’t forgive the acts of wrongdoing by police officers, I do think of the Magnificent (a Rick Ross song) job countless cops do a daily basis. And more importantly, I know in order to get a workplace truly right you don’t just go after the workers, you go after the boss (of course, in my Rick Ross voice).  

Want to learn more about Trae? Check out… traelewis.com