Reverend Al Sharpton: Good morning. We have gathered together with some of the outstanding faith leaders in our community — particularly in the Haitian community, but in other communities — to come together to deal with the outrageous humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
As the world is dealing with crises in the Middle East and in Ukraine, right in our hemisphere there is a reign of bedlam and terror that has not been addressed in the way that we feel it should be. So, we gathered faith leaders who in many ways are the backbone of the Haitian American community. There is no city in this country that has more Haitian Americans who have relatives in Haiti who are living under this threat than New York City.
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That is why we wanted to stand with the faith leaders from different denominations and those of us in the African American community and the Jewish community to say that we’re calling on this country to do all that it can do and more to deal with the crisis in Haiti.
We have called to the White House and other aspects of the federal government to deal with the crisis in Haiti. There is reports that gun trafficking from Florida is providing arms for the gangs. There’s been the offer from the nation of Kenya to send a thousand military personnel to Haiti to help stabilize it that’s being blocked by some of the Republicans in the Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress.
That money should be released immediately — Congressmen Greg Meeks and others are working on that — and there needs to be investigations immediately on whether gun trafficking from Florida or any part of the United States is in fact happening and those parties be apprehended.
It is in that spirit that I had called yesterday our mayor who’s been talking about it. The mayor and I have been in issues of Haiti for the last 35 years from dealing with hurricanes to dealing with Abner Louima to dealing with other issues. The difference is we used to be on the other side of the gate raising these issues, now he invited us inside so he can address this with his constituent faith leaders. I bring you to mayor of the City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, Reverend Sharpton, and those leaders who have joined us. And in particular, just want to really point out Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse who’s of Haitian descent and Councilwoman Rita Joseph who are both here and they have continuously, even though they represent their constituencies, they have continuously raised the issue around what is happening in Haiti.
Several years ago when I visited Haiti after the hurricane, you saw the resiliency of the people and just their desire to make sure that their country received the resources and the support that the international community should be providing.
And then long‑term advocates for Haiti, going back seeing Pastor Nicolas, who’s here from the days of when Abner Louima, he and his dad, Bishop Nicolas, were using their church as a meeting ground to really mobilize the communities.
I think Reverend Sharpton pointed out something that is extremely significant. Far too often in this hemisphere, weapons that are made here in America are being used not only what is taking place in Haiti but in Trinidad and other Caribbean countries. The Caribbean diaspora is finding itself under siege for some of these weapons.
But specifically, when gangs are using these weapons to bring about havoc in the country, it impacts not only those who are in Haiti, but what I will continue to say, but the Port‑au‑Prince of America is New York. Largest Haitian population resides here in our city. Many of them have family members who are currently still there.
We receive reports of members of the law enforcement community and members who have loved ones who can’t get home. This is very much a New York issue and it is an issue for the entire national government because this is our hemisphere.
It is so important that we deal with the issues in Gaza and deal with the issue in Ukraine and some of the other wars that are playing out on the stage of our globe, but this is in our backyard. It’s in our backyard, and many of the residents of Haiti are from New York City, from Miami and from other parts of the Americas.
It is imperative that we have an immediate response. We cannot ignore it and act like it is not taking place. It is traumatizing loved ones and family members who are here in New York City and other parts of the country. We have an obligation to have ATF and other federal agencies investigate the flow of guns that is proliferating on the island.
We have an obligation to make sure that we hold any form of deportation of Haitian residents so they are not sent back, particularly during the time of destabilization that’s taking place now. And we have an obligation of giving our expertise how to bring a level of normality to the country at this time.
The Haitian people are our neighbors. They’re very much part of what is taking place in this hemisphere, and I think it’s imperative that all of us come together, our faith leaders and the organizations that stand behind us as we communicate this issue.
And I think it’s profound that not only do we have our Rabbi Potasnik from the Board of Rabbis, but we also have Bishop Bernard, Reverend Bernard, Pastor Bernard from one of the largest churches that we have here in the country if not in the city also adding their voice.
We cannot consider ourselves to be people of faith and watching what is playing out in Haiti at this time, and that’s why we’re coming together to call for an immediate response, not a long‑term, think through the problem. There are immediate things we can do right now. Stop the flow of guns. stop the deportation, give the expertise on how to stabilize the community and give the resources that are needed at this time.
And again, Reverend Sharpton, thank you for bringing us all together to really hone in on this important issue that’s taking place in our hemisphere.
Reverend Sharpton: Let us hear from Reverend Sam Nichols, one of the outstanding Haitian American leaders in our community.
Reverend Samuel Nicolas, Senior Pastor, Evangelical Crusade Christian Church: First of all, I want to thank Reverend Sharpton for putting this together in less than 24 hours after we met with him yesterday, Honorable Mayor Adams for hosting this meeting here today, Haitian councilmembers that are here: Farah Louis, Rita Joseph, Mercedes Narcisse, and, our Jewish leaders, Muslim leaders, African American leaders that are here.
This is so important that my 94‑year‑old father woke up at seven o’clock this morning to be here with us today and he’s standing behind us back here to make sure that our voices are getting out. So, to our faith leaders that are here this morning, thank you for standing with us today with our Haitian community.
Why are we here? We are asking for immediate help for Haiti. Haiti has turned into a country where we have people that are armed with guns that we did not mass produce, that we did not produce in Haiti, that are fighting with people with machetes. And every single day people are waking up to people being shot, people being killed in the streets.
When speaking to pastors in Haiti, as I did last night, they have to leave their homes daily. Daily they’re leaving their homes. If they were in one place, as the gangs are moving closer, they’re having to leave their homes to find someplace else. They cannot use their cell phones because they’re being tracked.
So, Haiti is in a state of anarchy, and we are calling here today for immediate help. Whatever help that the federal government can do to release the money that is allocated to Haiti so we can have, whether it’s the Kenyans or international forces on the ground, helping to put security in Haiti.
This is the primary reason that we are here. There is bloodshed every single day in Haiti, every single minute; and I assure you, right now as we are speaking, I’m sure that someone is being killed, someone is being slaughtered right now as we’re speaking.
And we are here today standing with faith leaders asking for the bloodshed in Haiti to stop. We are here asking for the country that Haiti helped to build, the Louisiana Purchase is because of Haitians because of 1804 that we rose up, the only successful Black revolt that was done. After that, the Louisiana Purchase was done. We helped this country. We helped to build Chicago. So, right here we are asking back here to help.
Second thing we’re asking… My two points, second thing we’re asking we’re asking for the United States government to help to put back democracy in Haiti. Elections need to be done ASAP — As Soon As Possible — so we can get a country back and running.
Thank you for being here today. God bless the United States of America, God bless our island of Haiti, and thank you all for coming out today.
Reverend Sharpton: We will hear from Reverend Mullery Jean‑Pierre.
Reverend Mullery Jean‑Pierre, Pastor, Beraca Baptist Church: Thank you, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Mayor Eric Adams, and all of our elected officials.
I’m a Haitian pastor in the Haitian community, and each and every day we hear horror stories coming out of Haiti of family members having loved ones kidnapped, murdered, raped, and all sorts of violent atrocities occurring.
We are here standing to let our United States government know that Haiti needs your help now. We do need an international force going in to help clean up the mess and help dismantle the gangs and help those gang members who are wearing ties and those who wear suits and those who wear sandals — whichever level of gang members they are — they need to be dismantled in Haiti so that we can have a security.
We have a police force that needs to be rebuilt. We have a military that was reinstated back in 2017, they need to be reinstated. We need to have security in Haiti. We need the Americans to come in, the international force to come in and to bring support so that we can have free and fair elections.
We also want to highlight how we can need the Haitians in the diaspora to be at the table. It is so important. We send remittance to Haiti, we need to be at the table to have a decision in the future of Haiti.
We also need the Haitian Criminal Collusion Transparency Act to pass in the Senate; this way, all of those actors who are helping to bring violence in Haiti are listed and everyone knows who they are.
So, we need help, and we’re asking the government to please step up and do what is right. And after they stepped up and done what is right, they need to exit the country and allow the Haitian people to lead their country and go in the country. God bless you.
Reverend Sharpton: Now, we will hear from one of the preeminent faith leaders in our country and in our city who has this morning been elevated now to the title of Bishop… Reverend A.R. Bernard.
Reverend A.R. Bernard, Senior Pastor, Christian Cultural Center: Thank you, Reverend Sharpton for that elevation. Good morning. I’m here to join with my colleagues in ministry, elected officials to stand in solidarity against the crisis that’s taking place in Haiti.
We are praying for the Haitian people and their families, and we have faith in those prayers. But the Scripture says, faith without works is dead. I have a question when it comes to seeing an individual who can’t afford a pair of shoes can afford an AK‑47 to exact violence with within the community.
So, we’re calling upon the American government to intervene against the flow of guns into Haiti, and we’re standing together in solidarity to do something, not just offer our prayers.
I’m very excited about the fact that part of this solidarity today is a representation from the Jewish community. Too often, there’s an accusation that one asks to stand with the other, but in times of our crisis as people of color, they don’t stand. But I’m glad to say that they’re standing with us today.
And with that said, I’d like to invite my dear friend, Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, to share words.
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President, New York Board of Rabbis: Thank you, Reverend, Bishop today. One day you may be elevated and become a rabbi.
Some of you may be asking why is it someone who’s not from Haiti came here today. Let me tell you that when my parents came to this country after the war, one of the first groups to reach out to them were the nuns of St. Mary’s Church in Lynn, Massachusetts.
They understood that in all of our religious traditions, there is no such thing as an innocent bystander. So, matter of fact, religion tells us if you see a horror being committed and you say nothing and you do nothing, you are also guilty in the commission of that act.
So, when the Bible says you shall love your neighbor, it doesn’t qualify it and say your Christian neighbor or your Jewish neighbor, because all of us are neighbors; and as we heard today, the Haitian community certainly is part of the neighborhood.
One of the most important words we should remember is the word “and,” so matter of fact, when you look at the Jewish Bible — the original Bible — the word “and” connects one part to the other, and that’s who we are today. We’re all in the spirit of “and,” we are connected to each other.
So, many of you may remember that famous movie, “The King’s Speech.” In it, the most important line is, I have a voice. Clarence Jones, advisor, speechwriter for Martin Luther King, Jr., said, the most commandment is, thou shall not be silent.
We come here today with our voices, we will not be silent until the people of Haiti can live together in peace. Thank you.
Reverend Sharpton: Again we thank all that have gathered; and again, we repeat, we stand in unity, and we thank the mayor for convening this to show that we stand in with Haiti. We will be doing prayer services, Reverend Nicolas will be organizing that all of us will be participating in.
But at the same time, we will be going to Washington and help to push for those resources to be released to Kenya, and that pressure be put on gun traffickers out of Florida; and when safe, we will be having a delegation that I want to be a part of that will actually go to Haiti.
We cannot do this as a one‑day stand, we must stand together. We can open up for questions on the issue of Haiti. I know you have a thousand things to ask the mayor about. Don’t use my press conference to do it.
Question: Reverend Sharpton, you have a relationship with the White House. What has the president and his aides been telling you in response to your request for intervention? I know the Floridian officials have been pressuring him as well.
Reverend Sharpton: I talked to someone in the White House yesterday. I’m going to Washington tomorrow as a guest of Senator Gillibrand on something else. I expect to speak to senior White House officials. But they know of this press conference and they know that we are very concerned that they are intervening particularly on the question of gun trafficking.
Question: So, they know you need action, but you haven’t heard anything in response…
Reverend Sharpton: No. I would expect when I’m in Washington tomorrow, I will get more.
Question: Thanks. Maybe for both the mayor and you, Reverend Sharpton. When you’re speaking of intervention from the U.S. government, are you talking about U.S. military involvement or something else? Do you want to see U.S. …
Reverend Sharpton: I think that we very clearly said we want to start by investigating the gun trafficking, and secondly, the resources that are available like Kenya. I don’t think we’ve gone further than that. If they can start there then we can see what else is necessary. All right, thank you very much.
