From threats to gifts: How Haitian gang leaders added TikTok to their social media arsenal

PORT-AU-PRINCE — In a livestream just last month on the video-hosting social media platform TikTok, gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier issued a threatening command: journalists were now “targets.” Standing defiantly before the camera, Barbecue called for his followers to capture four prominent radio reporters and popular show hosts. 

 “Consider journalists as enemies, punishable by death if they oppose us.” the post said. 

“Journalists defending the elite classes needed to be silenced.”

In a striking display of new-age power, gangs across Haiti have been taking over an unlikely medium: social media. — For the past few months TikTok has been their focus. The gang leaders of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition are organizing TikTok live sessions to talk about their abductions, flaunting threats, and broadcasting demands that reach thousands of followers — from fearful citizens to even potential recruits. The live broadcasts are more than digital boasting; they signal the deepening grip of organized crime on a nation already reeling from instability.

With the use of social media amplifying gang threats like Barbecue’s, these attacks underscore a deeper issue: without an informed public, the pillars of Haitian democracy stand at risk. The intensifying security crisis has left large parts of the capital and other regions effectively off-limits to journalists, who once held a critical role in reporting in these areas and safeguarding transparency. Increasingly, they are silenced or forced into self-censorship out of fear for their safety. 

This reality has raised alarms among both local and international rights groups, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which called for urgent protective measures. They warn that unchecked threats against the press only deepen the fragility of Haitian democracy.

“The threats against these journalists are unacceptable,” states the Relatoría Especial para la Libertad Expresión (RELE_CIDH) on their X account, calling for immediate and enhanced protection for them. 

#Haïti: Les menaces contre ces journalistes sont inacceptables. La @RELE_CIDH appelle à une protection immédiate et renforcée pour eux.

La #LibertéDeLaPresse est fondamentale pour surmonter la crise multidimensionnelle que traverse le pays. https://t.co/J6M2fiRp6w

— Relatoría Especial p/la Libertad Expresión (CIDH) (@RELE_CIDH) October 22, 2024

“Freedom of the press is essential to overcoming the multidimensional crisis facing the country.”

Income fueled by TikTok and TikTok influencers 

Cherizier ‘Barbecue’, who controls swaths of Port-au-Prince, and other leaders like Johnson “Izo” André, have turned the platform into an unconventional stage for their ruthless operations. One afraid to show their faces, over time, the now unmasked, enigmatic figures now make regular appearances. This public-facing strategy has enabled Haitian gangs to consolidate power and intimidate on a level never seen before.

“Digital platforms have become an extension of gang dominance,” says Pierre Espérance, director of Haiti’s National Network for the Defense of Human Rights.

According to Espérance, social media’s unrestricted reach has proven instrumental in amplifying gang intimidation tactics. “They understand the power of the media, and they use it to instill fear and recruit,” Espérance said.

But the videos serve another purpose: income. TikTok, in particular, allows users to earn money by accumulating followers and receiving gifts from viewers. Some gang leaders in Haiti have been seen in TikTok live sessions with popular Haitian influencers, where they promote their criminal activities under the guise of “social contributions” and “revolution.”

Recently, on TikTok, a gang leader known as ‘Tilapli’ gifted several Haitian influencers through the app’s gifting feature, sparking an outcry among internet users. Mendel Raphael, who is based in the U.S. and is also known as “Tati Mendel,” is one such influencer. 

“These threats against the press, perpetrated by armed groups operating in the country, constitute a blatant violation of freedom of expression and the right to information, two essential pillars of a democratic society.”

Human rights defense organization, Défenseurs Plus.

He disclosed in a live broadcast that he received gifts from the gang member but also disclosed that other TikTokers, the majority also U.S.-based, such as Commandant, Parrola, Belle-Enfant, and Trapalman, were also sent gifts from Tilapli. The influencers named here did not respond to The Haitian Times’ request for comment to see how they feel about being sent gifts and if they had cashed out these gifts. Influencers do not need to be aware the gift is going to be sent to them for another user to openly send them a gift. 

The TikTok app offers virtual gifts ranging from low-cost options like the “Tennis” and “Daisies,” priced at $0.01 to buy, to high-end gifts such as the “Lion” ($398.95) and “TikTok Universe” ($562.48). When creators are sent these gifts they have the option of cashing out the gift for money when withdrawn but will only get half the value of the gift as TikTok keeps half of the profits. TikTok has not responded to The Haitian Times regarding how gangs in Haiti are using the social media platform. 

Although gifts have become a significant form of engagement on the platform, the total amount spent by gang members like Tilapli or the amount of money received by influencers through these virtual gifts remains unknown.

“These are dangerous alliances,” warns Marie Merceron. “Haitian influencers unknowingly — or perhaps knowingly — assist in boosting the profile of men who kidnap, extort, and kill.”

“A person living in the United States who accepts money from the hands of a gang leader via a TikTok live is no different from a gang member,” said Wendy Phele, an ex-journalist of Haiti’s Radio Télé Zenith who is active on social media and studying for his PhD in France after threats against his life in Haiti. 

“If he was in Haiti, he would have weapons in hand as well. He is a danger that society should sanction,” Phele continued on X. 

The influence of these gang-affiliated influencers raises concerns. With a growing digital following, analysts believe these influencers help normalize crime and perpetuate gang propaganda, aiding in the normalization of violent crime as part of the digital fabric. 

“Since I blocked him, he won’t be able to send me any cards. If he can’t send from my side and from another who has blocked him, there won’t be any more discussions,” said Stanley Michel, a social media personality who publicly rebuffed Tilapli’s offers..

“I know many of you have children in Haiti, and one day, receiving gifts, you will have papers in your hands. And when you return to Haiti, the DCPJ can arrest you and trace the links you have with this gang leader,” Michel claimed while warning other influencers thinking about cashing in on the gifts they may receive.

The grip of gangs strengthens as Haiti’s justice system struggles to respond impaired by cyber gaps.

In Port-au-Prince, where gangs have shaped the city into warring territories, even daily life is full of peril. Many Haitians no longer feel safe to leave their homes, and daily commutes are often interrupted by shootouts, kidnappings, and roadblocks. The National Police of Haiti, PNH, severely outnumbered and outgunned, is stretched thin, further emboldening gangs.

Between July and September 2024, BINUH (the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti) reported 1,745 deaths or injuries, a 27% increase from the second quarter, along with over 170 kidnappings. These numbers reflect a sharp escalation in violence in a country already in crisis. Geraldine François, a 46-year-old schoolteacher, describes her harrowing ordeal.

 “I can’t leave my house after 5 p.m. My students and their families are living in constant fear. We’re prisoners in our neighborhoods,” said François. 

As gangs leverage digital tools to solidify their influence, Haiti’s justice system has struggled to keep pace. 

“The state has no legal texts regarding cybercrime,” says Arnel Remy, a prominent Port-au-Prince attorney, pointing out that while gangs enjoy virtual impunity on platforms like TikTok, Haiti lacks the legislation to prosecute digital crimes.

On Oct. 30, the Port-au-Prince prosecutor issued a ban on sharing or publishing criminal videos on social media, citing such content as a security risk and a violation of citizens’ rights. The notice stated that sanctions would be imposed on anyone disseminating this material, potentially including suspension of phone services and criminal prosecution.

“Such actions are a direct threat to national security,” the statement written by Remy.

Remy urges users to exercise caution in their sharing abiding by Article 6 of the 1977 decree, which grants the Haitian state a monopoly over telecommunications services. However, critics argue that while the advisory is a step, it falls short of what’s needed to truly curb the issue.

Remy shares on his X account that the prosecutor’s use of the 1977 decree to justify banning the sharing of criminal videos has little relevance to digital crimes. The Port-au-Prince attorney questions the practicalities of enforcement, asking how the prosecutor intends to identify those sharing the videos without a system in place for tracking them. Remy highlights that Haïti has no legal framework addressing cybercrime, leaving the state powerless to impose effective sanctions. 

“Based on the notice, the prosecutor would need monitors in every WhatsApp group to observe activity,” he noted, highlighting a lack of infrastructure for overseeing such online interactions. 

“We need laws that adapt to the digital world.”

The international community sounds the alarm

The crisis has drawn scrutiny from global organizations. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has labeled Haiti the deadliest country for journalists in its latest Global Impunity Index, citing that seven journalist killings since 2019 remain unsolved. Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ’s CEO, said, “Journalists in Haiti are facing a choice between self-censorship and life-threatening violence.”

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has also warned of the deteriorating human rights conditions in Haiti, calling on the international community to intervene and support the Haitian people. The response, however, has been tepid. Some experts argue that without dedicated intervention, the current situation could devolve further, jeopardizing regional stability and causing a ripple effect of crises.

Diego Da Rin, an international expert at the International Crisis Group (ICG) on Haiti, views the misuse of social media by gang leaders as an effort to keep internal conflicts out of the public eye since they united to confront security forces together. Da Rin explains that social media platforms help them convey a message of unity among the gangs through what they share.

“During these broadcasts, they portray the gangs as armed groups rising against oligarchs, whom they hold responsible for the country’s insecurity,” Da Rin told The Haitian Times. 

Da Rin speaks of an information war, where gang leaders also target journalists reporting on their actions, discrediting or directly threatening them.

“These livestreams allow gang leaders to bypass print and broadcast media, creating their channels where they can freely spread misinformation and deliver long speeches to defend and justify their criminal activities.”

A Country — at the mercy of gangs, social media platforms in the spotlight

Amid the chaos, social media companies have faced increasing calls to take action. Some human rights advocates believe that tech giants should implement stricter content controls for known gang accounts, noting that similar practices have been applied to other criminal networks in Latin America and beyond. However, social media platforms argue that monitoring content from private profiles presents technical and ethical challenges.

“Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have a duty to the public,” says Josué Guerrier, a technology analyst based in Port-au-Prince. “By allowing these broadcasts, they risk becoming accessories to a crisis unfolding right before their eyes.”

With increasing frequency, gang violence spills into everyday life, cutting through the heart of Haitian society and affecting people from all walks of life. At night, gunfire often echoes through Port-au-Prince, reverberating in communities like Delmas, Carrefour, and Petion-Ville, turning residential streets into combat zones. Even those who remain within the safety of their homes are not entirely shielded from the reach of these criminal networks.

“We’re in a constant state of dread. If you’re not taken by gangs, you live with the fear that it might happen tomorrow,” said Telecommunications worker Roseline Joassaint.

As Haitians navigate this new digital terrain where crime is live-streamed and social media is weaponized, the line between private and public life continues to blur, leaving citizens in an unending state of anxiety.

The post From threats to gifts: How Haitian gang leaders added TikTok to their social media arsenal appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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From threats to gifts: How Haitian gang leaders added TikTok to their social media arsenal was first posted on November 21, 2024 at 1:48 pm.