(Marco Dormino/ The United Nations)
By Bazona Bado
Many of the 140,000 Haitian Americans living in New York are divided between backing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton or Republican nominee Donald Trump on November 8th. One key factor for them is the Clinton Foundation controversy.
In 2015, some Haitian Americans believed the foundation stole million of dollars from Haiti after an earthquake which killed more than 46,000 people and displaced 1.5 million others.
Haitians have been gathering in New York City to protest against the Clintons. They were led by Dhoud Andre, a radio host in New York City.
“Andre has been protesting for over 30 years,” said Garry Pierre Pierre, a Clinton supporter and journalist at The Haitian Times. “Protesting is a legitimate thing. And I think only some minorities would vote for Trump, but the overwhelming Haitians will not.”
During the last debate, Trump claimed that Haitians hate Clinton and he is hoping to get their support.
“There is no way in the world to vote for Donald Trump. He is a misogynist racist who hates minorities,” said Sheila Saint Fleur, a 40–year-old physician.
Saint Fleur, who supports Clinton, is not blaming only the Clinton Foundation for the supposed role it has played in Haiti. She points a finger at nonprofit organizations worldwide.
“What happened in Haiti is not specifically about the Clinton Foundation,” she said. It is an issue about all nonprofit organizations. They would not do anything to help Haiti people and they do the same in other poor countries.”
However, Josias Cely, 54, a Marriott Hotel worker in Brooklyn disagreed. “I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton because she has stolen money from my people,” he said. “People are talking about it.”
Mario John, a 46–year–old auto mechanic, dodged the question about the role the Clinton Foundation played in Haiti. “I will vote for Clinton because the Democrats, even though they do not do nothing to help people, they are human,” he said, holding a Bible as he left church.
“Trump does not represent our values,” Pierre said.
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