Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Becoming Notorious Criminals Because of Poverty, Claiming to Be Revolutionaries or Becoming Notorious Criminals Based on Free Will?

Luders Allen


March 8, 2014
© Copyright 2014


Since after the removal of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide from power, in 2004, Kidnapping for ransom has become the most popular crime in Haiti (now, this crisis is a little bit down due to Haitian authorities that are targeting and hunting the kidnappers). The Duvalierists claim that the kidnappers are Aristide's supporters. Meantime, individuals of all social classes involve in the kidnapping crimes. As the masterminds of such crisis are always the individuals of highly social status and the executioners are ordinary individuals, when the executioners are caught by authorities, as defense, they always claim that their involvements in the kidnapping crimes and some other crimes are due to poverty and against the social system, therefore they have to find a way to survive.

Indeed, poverty is one of the factors, in any society, that propels certain individuals that are lack of strength, self-esteem, integrity, dignity and pride to live criminal lifestyles. However, poverty does not make rational individuals living criminal lifestyles. Rational individuals that live in poverty panhandle, seek for help by any means to change their lives around, become revolutionaries, activists or rebels to bring changes within their societies.

For instance, there are no mistreatments and crimes in human's existence that can be compared to the mistreatments and crimes, which were practiced on the slaves during slavery system, in San Domingo that is now the Republic of Haiti in the West and the Dominican Republic in the East. Lynching, murdering, cutting human's parts alive, burning human's parts or bodies alive, starving to death, beating to death, torturing, beating and hard punishments. All mistreatments and crimes humans can commit on another humans, all of which used to be practiced on the Haitian slaves.

Despite all...they had been through, they didn't steal from their masters, kidnap them for ransom and nor become notorious criminals, nonetheless. Instead they fled in the wood and became maroons (rebels), and transformed into groups, in order to revolt against their masters. Throughout the revolts (revolution), there were times they went out of foods, so they obliged to ate rats, dogs, horses, cats, old leather, grass and anything they could find (James 232).

However, becoming notorious criminals and claiming that it is due to poverty and the corrupt-social system, it is as though urinating and defecating on the faces of the great Haitian heroes that fought and died to give Haiti its independence. As stated previously: calamities and inhuman treatments didn't cause the Haitian slaves becoming notorious criminals nor kidnappers for ransom.

Notorious crimes have become addictions to those criminals, in Haiti. Why? Despite they kidnap their victims and receive ransoms to secure their release, they still take their victims' money, cars, jewels and other important belongings. In the end, they beat, rape, torture and murder them, whom happen to be innocent adults and children. Thereafter, they brag with delight about their crimes.

The nature of their crimes has nothing to do with fighting against neither poverty nor a corrupt-social system. They are a bunch of satans, thugs, gangsters and barbarians that are preying on innocent children and adults, in pretending they are poor and against the corrupt-social system... Those who are against a corrupt system don't act and operate in such a manner...

In fact, crimes are committed in every country. But, in certain countries the crime rates are higher than others. Despite all crimes of kidnappings, carjackings, illegal drug traffikings and homicides that are committed in the Haitian society, Martinique, Cuba and Haiti are the lowest crime rated countries in the Caribbean and also are among the lowest crime rated countries in Americas and in the world (International Homicide Rate).

Notwithstanding Haiti's crime rate is not high, in comparing to the other countries in the region and other countries in the world, but its lowest crime rate is still taken in profound consideration, due to the way it used to be years ago, it was as though a crime-free country. Individuals used to circulate in the country without having any fear of being the victims of any sort of civil citizen on civil citizen crimes.

(From 1958 to 1971, there were politically genocidal crimes committed by the dictatorial regime, Francois Duvalier. From 1971 to 1986, under Jean Claude Duvalier's administration, the son of Francois Duvalier, political crimes continued to be committed and also it was during this period illegal drug trafficking began to emerge. And From 1986 to present, on top of the existing crimes, other crimes began to emerge, such as political gangs, kidnappings and civilian on civilian crimes.)

When a country is in a state of insecurity, it affects all social aspects inside the country. Citizens of such country live in fear, every single day; local and foreign investors are afraid to invest; international humanitarian aids are limited; and foreigners are afraid to come to visit. It is as though indirectly a form of international sanctions on such country...

Haiti can, someday, become a crime-free country again, if the government implements the national police force, investigative force, intelligence force and justice system enforces severe penalties and punishments on notorious criminals.


References


James, C.L.R. The Black Jacobins. 2nd. Rev. ed. New York: Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 1989. Print.

"List of Countries by International Homicide Rate." Wikepedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.d. N.p., Mod. 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.