Is Crime in Jamaica out of Control?
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PRESORTED april 2010 STANDARD ® U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Tel: (305) 238-2868 1-800-605-7516 [email protected] [email protected] We cover your world Vol. 21 No. 5 Jamaica: 655-1479 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE The Bruce Golding adminis - tration has made an apparent about-turn in a bid to end the controversy surround - ~ Dozens of nations ing a United States request to extradite Jamaican don and organizations Christopher “Dudus” Coke, pledged almost page 6. $10 billion in immediate and Jean long-term aid to Caceres- help Haiti recover Gonzalez is from January’s founder and executive devastating director of earthquake, North page 2. Miami’s His House Children’s Home, which has been a refuge for Haitian children affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Caribbean island, page 7. Is crime in Jamaica out of control? Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay, Usain The Caribbean country’s new Police Commissioner Bolt, and the three fastest humans of all-time, are sched - Owen Ellington insists it’s not; and he came all the way uled to face the starter in the to South Florida to try and convince a worried diaspora, men’s 100 meters at the IAAF page 3. Diamond League athletics meet in Aug. 27, page 23. INSIDE News .....................................................2 Local ....................................................13 Food .....................................................17 Feature ..................................................7 FYI ........................................................14 Spring Health .....................................18 Viewpoint .............................................9 Business .............................................15 Sport ....................................................23 Arts/Entertainment ............................11 Region/Politics ..................................16 Spring/Summer Education ..............24 Call Caribbean Today direCT from JamaiCa 655-1479 2 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • APRIL 2010 NEWS Billions pledged for earthquake-damaged Haiti at international donors conference UNITED NATIONS - Haiti’s President René been pouring into Haiti since quakes, tsunamis and other Dozens of nations and organi - Préval expressed thanks on the magnitude 7.0 quake disasters resulting from cli - zations late last month behalf of his nine million struck. Governments, the mate change,” Préval told the pledged almost $10 billion in countrymen. business community and pri - gathering. immediate and long-term aid “The international com - vate citizens have all mobi - “International aid must be to help Haiti recover from the munity has done their part,” lized to assist the people of coordinated upstream if it is January’s devastating earth - he said. “Now it is up to the Haiti. to be effective.” quake. Haitian people to do theirs.” “If this solidarity and Préval, United States The pledge came after fraternity, which we have Secretary of State Hillary U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki- APPEAL experienced since the 12th of Clinton, and U.N. Special moon opened the day-long Opening the conference, January doesn’t evaporate but Envoy for Haiti Bill Clinton donors’ conference on Mar. 31 Ban appealed to donors to rather broadens, deepens, it is co-hosted the conference, by calling for the wholesale provide money over the next because the dream of each entitled “Towards a New rebuilding of the French-speak - 10 years to help the Caribbean country, each nation belonging Future in Haiti”. They noted ing Caribbean country. The nation recover and rebuild Préval and the rest of Haiti can be happy to a global partnership can the courage and solidarity U.N. said, of that amount, more after the quake. knowing the world has come to the come about in the future,” he shown by the Haitians in the than $5 billion has been pledged “What we envision, today, country’s aid. said, noting that there was midst of the unprecedented for the next 18 months, well is wholesale national renewal, displaced persons are at risk also a need to take stock and suffering resulting from the above the $3.9 billion sought for a sweeping exercise in nation - of flooding. Heath and sanita - learn lessons from the Haitian quake and the outpouring of that period. al-building on a scale and tion issues are growing more disaster. generosity and support from “Today, the international scope not seen in genera - serious,” Ban explained. “This Haitian earthquake the country’s international community has come together, tions,” he told delegates from Addressing the represen - has shown us that the generos - partners. At the same time, dramatically, in solidarity with more than 130 nations attend - tatives of more than 130 coun - ity of nations must also be they underscored that Haiti’s Haiti and its people,” Ban said ing the high-level meeting. tries gathered for the confer - more disciplined. The oppor - road to recovery will be a long in a closing press conference at Ban said reconstruction ence, Préval reiterated the tunities afforded me here to one and one which will U.N. Headquarters in New work must move in tandem need for the international underscore, as I have done in require continued global sup - York. with emergency relief and community to find ways to the past, to the Secretary port. “Today, the United urged donors to provide fur - better respond to disasters General, the need for the cre - Nations are united for Haiti,” ther support to the revised across the world, as he ation of a Humanitarian HEAVY DAMAGE he added. “Today, we have humanitarian appeal for Haiti. thanked donors for the sup - Emergency Response Force The January quake struck mobilised to give Haiti and its That appeal is calling for $1.4 port given to his country in under the aegis of the United close to the capital, Port-au- people what they need most: billion, but is currently only 50 the aftermath the quake. Nations to coordinate the Prince, and resulted in the hope for a new future. We percent funded, the U.N. said. responses to the various disas - deaths of approximately have made a good start, we “The rainy season is fast ‘GENEROSITY’ ters which undoubtedly will need now to deliver.” approaching. Some camps for Aid of varying forms has occur in the future - earth - (Continued on page 4) Free at last: Haitians detained in U.S. after earthquake released from detention MIAMI, Florida - United were still being held because Florida just after the quake onto military transports or U.S. federal officials said States federal authorities say they refused to sign the depor - that reduced much of his other planes by U.S. Marines, those detained were not med - they have released three tation order or had no spon - home city to rubble. only to be detained for lack of ical evacuees who suffered dozen Haitian earthquake sur - sor. Matt Chandler, a “I lost everything. I’m visas when they landed. injuries in the quake; nor was vivors from Florida detention spokesman for the U.S. happy to be here now,” he Cheryl Little, director of anyone detained who accom - centers after more than two Department of Homeland said. Florida Immigrant Advocacy panied a victim. They said months in custody of the Security, said a total of 65 Center, said her lawyers discov - those without valid papers Immigration and Customs Haitians had been detained in TRAUMA ered the detained Haitians dur - were detained and placed in Enforcement (ICE). Florida and other states. Lawyers at the Florida ing routine visits to the deten - deportation proceedings, as Officials said the evacuees “I’m free now! That’s all I Immigrant Advocacy Center tion facility. Little said she had part of the U.S. policy to dis - were placed in detention after can say,” Fratzo Isna, 23, told here had been pressing for the written to the Department of courage Haitians from trying arriving in the United States reporters, as he left the release of the Haitians. They Homeland Security on Mar. 19, to make the dangerous trek to without proper paperwork fol - Broward Transitional Center said that in the chaotic days pleading for the Haitians’ the U.S. lowing the catastrophic earth - in Pompano Beach in south - and with the aftershocks that release. quake that struck Haiti on ern Florida. followed, Haitians had been Æ Jan. 12. Isna, of Port-au-Prince, seeking security, food or treat - Up to press time, authori - the Haitian capital, had been ment at the Port-au-Prince Ex-Antigua cop wants to defend ties said three of the Haitians in detention since arriving in airport when they were waved criminal charges against him U.S. ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC - ed to the U.S. pending the A man wanted in the United decision from Prime Minister States to answer to charges Baldwin Spencer in his capaci - including attempted murder, ty as minister of external has waived his right to extradi - affairs. tion proceedings, saying he In addition to the attempt - wants to go to the U.S. to ed murder charge, Gordon, an defend charges against him. ex-policeman, has been slapped Weston Gordon appeared with four counts of aggravated before Senior Magistrate assault and one count of being Asquith Riviere here last month in possession of a weapon for when his attorney George Lake unlawful purposes. notified the court of his decision. The U.S. government is Director of Public Prosecutions alleging that in Sept. 2005, in Anthony Armstrong did not New Jersey, Gordon allegedly oppose Gordon’s waiver of his stabbed Earl Matthias twice in extradition rights. the stomach. Gordon was Riviere said he is satisfied arrested and was granted