Cleveland: Justice for Pierre Damas Bel!

Cleveland

Pierre Damas Bel was a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant, an honors student at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and an avid soccer player. After President Donald Trump revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, Bel became one of many immigrants forced to wear an ankle monitor. He became depressed from the bullying by some classmates and the inability to play college sports.

On Aug. 31, Bel got out of his car and threw himself under a truck, which killed him.

“Justice for Pierre Damas Bel” was the theme of a demonstration held in Cleveland on Sept. 13, called by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Actions were held in cities around the state, including in Springfield, where some 20,000 Haitians comprise about one-third of the city’s population.

Demands included: Full legal rights for Haitian immigrants, immediately; permanent protected status for Haitian immigrants with a direct pathway to citizenship; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of Springfield and Ohio; end the ankle monitor program now; abolish ICE; and return the detained Haitian pastors now. The last demand refers to the ongoing detention by ICE since August of Pastors Gilbert Joubert Adrien and Julio Dumano.

In addition to the actions on Sept. 13, there have been a number of demonstrations and news conferences to protest the treatment of Haitians in Ohio.

 

 

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