Cap-Haïtien residents dismiss gang rumors, say city remains safe

Editor’s Note: Pierre Stevenson Joseph, The Haitian Times’ collaborator in Cap-Haïtien, contributed photos to this story. 

MARYLAND —  Despite the arrest of four individuals in Saint-Raphaël suspected of ties to a Port-au-Prince gang, Cap-Haïtien residents remain calm, rejecting rumors of gangs infiltrating their city. While social media fuels fears of gang violence spreading north, locals insist their city’s safety and strong police presence make such threats unlikely.

During one of their operations, police arrested four individuals who, based on their cell phone records, possibly have ties to a gang in Port-au-Prince. The arrest was made in Saint-Raphaël, a northern commune, police told local reporter Gérard Maxineau. Details such as the exact date of the arrest and the gang’s identity were not specified. Police declined The Haitian Times’ request for comment.

Cap-Haïtien has become Haiti’s go-to city in recent years as escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince drives events and travel northward. Many in the diaspora who used to travel to Port-au-Prince or used it as a safe connection point to the provinces have now been going through Cap-Haïtien instead. If the city turns unsafe, as rumors suggest, Haitians would lose their alternative to Port-au-Prince, putting the nation in serious jeopardy.

“I don’t fear for my safety. I’m far from the police station, but I don’t worry about gang activities.”

Mickerlange Pierre, resident of Fort Saint-Michel, a neighborhood in Cap-Haïtien

Saint-Raphaël is located about 39 miles south of Cap-Haïtien. Despite the arrest of suspects possibly tied to an unidentified gang in Port-au-Prince, northerners refuse to believe the rumors that Cap-Haïtien could become unsafe like Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.

“The city is sweet,” Dieuseul Jean, a three-wheel motorcycle taxi driver, said. “We don’t have gangs like those in Port-au-Prince. If we reach that level, we’re doomed because Okap is too small to hold it in.”

Those living in the relatively peaceful quarters of Cap-Haïtien do not believe the rumors. However, Haitians living elsewhere, particularly abroad, still fear the worst for Haiti. 

Akmann Van-Mary, an entrepreneur who alternates between living in the U.S. and Cap-Haïtien, has been having difficulty finding business partners outside of Cap-Haïtien because of the rumors.

“I’m always looking for investors, opportunities, projects to bring to the city,” said Van-Mary, who did not want to identify his businesses due to fear of retribution. “The work I’m doing slows down because people are hearing this and that.”

Cap-Haïtien police are too powerful, and the city is too small for gangs to spread, people say

It is unknown where the rumors came from or what motivated them. Many Cap-Haïtien residents did not fall for them because they firmly believe that the police force is too dedicated to its work to allow gangs to spread into the city. 

“We have to give back to the police,” Van-Mary said. “Even if it’s picking a day for them to have discounts at restaurants.”

“The city is sweet. We don’t have gangs like those in Port-au-Prince. If we reach that level, we’re doomed because Okap is too small to hold it in.”

Dieuseul Jean, a three-wheel motorcycle taxi driver in Cap-Haïtien

Residents also believe that Cap-Haïtien is too small for gangs to spread without getting caught. Cap-Haïtien proper is about 21 square miles, while Port-au-Prince stretches to over 61 square miles. Since the city is so small, if gang members penetrate it, residents say they will instantly notice that they’re not from the area and will contact the police. 

Even after the arrest of individuals suspected to be linked to a gang in Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien residents still strongly believe that gangs will not be able to spill over their city. 

For instance, Mickerlange Pierre has been sleeping with both eyes closed in his home in Fort Saint-Michel, a neighborhood on the outskirts of downtown Cap-Haïtien. On the afternoon of Nov. 29, Pierre comfortably picked cherries in the front yard of his home without an inch of fear. 

“I don’t fear for my safety,” Pierre said. “I’m far from the police station, but I don’t worry about gang activities.”

Meanwhile, Dieuseul Jean lives in Grand Bassin, a northeastern commune, and often travels to Cap-Haïtien, especially to watch his favorite soccer team, Association Sportive Capoise (ASC), play. The games often end late in the evening. However, when the season starts again, he plans to continue watching games without fear of criminal gang activities in the city.

“If ASC is playing, I will still be there with them,” Jean, 45, said. “We’ll never have gangs terrorizing people in Okap.”

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Cap-Haïtien residents dismiss gang rumors, say city remains safe was first posted on December 2, 2024 at 12:18 pm.