Haitians in U.S. lash out at Hill black caucus ties

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — Leaders of South Florida’s Haitian community met behind closed doors over the weekend and denounced some members of the Congressional Black Caucus for their ties to departed Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

“We have to wonder if some of the Congressional Black Caucus may have profited from their relationship with Aristide,” said Carlo Jean-Joseph, an immigration lawyer from Lauderhill in neighboring Broward County.

“One of the questions we are asking is whether there should be an investigation into Aristide’s removal at all,” said Mr. Jean-Joseph, one of about 18 people who attended the meeting. “We are not sure that it is merited, given the cozy relationship between some caucus members and Aristide.”

Reps. Maxine Waters, California Democrat, and Charles B. Rangel, New York Democrat, last week said they had received phone calls from Mr. Aristide in exile in Central African Republic, telling them he was forced out of office as part of a U.S.-led coup. Mr. Aristide has repeated those claims in subsequent interviews.

Mrs. Waters and Mr. Rangel have both called for congressional inquiries into the circumstances of Mr. Aristide’s departure, although Mr. Rangel told The Washington Times last week that he had no fondness for Mr. Aristide.

Mrs. Waters has not returned several calls for comment over the past week.

Saturday’s meeting was held at the North Miami office of state Rep. Yolly Roberson, the third such recent gathering among the area’s Haitian community, estimated at 200,000 people.

Those who attended the meeting said that Miss Roberson, a Democrat, emphasized that Haitians in the United States “must take our case into our own hands.”

“She asked that members of the community call Maxine Waters and tell her what we want,” said one person in attendance who asked not to be named. “If we can do that, she said, we can be a powerhouse. Otherwise, they are free to say what they want, which isn’t fair.”

Another person at the meeting said that some people think the outspoken involvement of several caucus members has diluted the political effectiveness of both Haitian immigrants and American-born Haitians.

“I think they are feeling a lack of empowerment,” said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.

Those at the meeting said that Miss Roberson, who took to shouting several times, was peeved at the perception that black politicians in Washington appeared to be speaking for Haitians in the United States.

“We need to mobilize every black caucus in every state [legislature] because we really control the black vote,” Miss Roberson was quoted by attendees as saying.

Other Haitians here recently have bemoaned the lack of a cohesive Haitian community in the United States to speak for the country, the world’s oldest black republic.

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