Haiti - 5 Years After the Coup

Music: Phavia Kujichagulia and Troublemakers' Union

Featured Speakers: Pierre Labossiere and Nia Imara, Haiti Action Committee

Nadeen Elshorafa, Arab Resource Organizing Center, Update on Gaza

Richard Brown, San Francisco 8

$10-25 (No one turned away)

In its place, neo-liberal policies and privatization which benefit western powers and Haiti's elite have been restored. Popular resistance to these austerity measures are met with the military might of the United Nations occupation forces, MINUSTAH.

Ten thousand Haitians died, as many as 8,000 were raped, and others were forced into exile. Many Lavalas supporters and activists remain in prison. Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, a leading Lavalas human rights activist, remains unaccounted for after being kidnapped and disappeared in August 2007.

Now the full shameful weight of US/elite hegemony and globalization comes to bear as, 5 years after the coup, millions of Haitians endure starvation, illiteracy, unemployment, rising prices and natural disasters, while paying $1 million a week in debt service to the IMF.

Just as the brave Palestinian people living in occupied Gaza and the West Bank endure collective punishment from US-backed Israel for daring to exist, so do Haiti's determined people continue to survive and resist under US/UN occupation, the realization of their dreams of democracy deferred.

Join Haiti Action Committee to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the coup, to hear an update on the current situation, and to raise our voices to demand the return of President Aristide, freedom for Haiti's political prisoners, and accountability for the kidnapping of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine.

The evening will celebrate the ongoing resistance of Haiti's people, and all who struggle for true democracy, human rights and peace. We will not forget the achievements of Lavalas!