Latest news with #gangviolence
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Thousands of Haitians mark annual pilgrimage far from a sacred waterfall surrounded by gangs
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The massive crowd that would gather once a year at a revered waterfall in central Haiti where the faithful would splash in its sacred waters and rub their bodies with aromatic leaves was not there on Wednesday. Powerful gangs in March attacked the town of Saut-d'Eau, whose 100-foot-long waterfall had for decades drawn thousands of Vodou and Christian faithful alike. The town remains under gang control, preventing thousands from participating in the traditional annual pilgrimage meant to honor the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, closely associated with the Vodou goddess of Erzulie. 'Not going to Saut-d'Eau is terrible,' said Ti-Marck Ladouce. 'That water is so fresh it just washes off all the evilness around you.' Instead, Ladouce joined several thousand people who scrambled up a steep hill in a rural part of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Wednesday to honor Erzulie and the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel at a small church that served as a substitute for the waterfall. Like many, Ladouce thanked the Virgin Mary for keeping him and his family alive amid a surge of gang violence that has left at least 4,864 people dead from October to the end of June across Haiti, with hundreds of others kidnapped, raped and trafficked. 'People are praying to be saved,' he said. A church bursting at its seams Daniel Jean-Marcel opened his arms, closed his eyes and turned toward the sky as people around him lit candles, clutched rosaries and tried to push their way into the small church that could not hold the crowd gathered around it. Jean-Marcel said he was giving thanks 'for the grace of being able to continue living in Port-au-Prince,' where gang violence has displaced more than 1.3 million people in recent years. 'There is nowhere for us to go,' he said, adding that he and his family would remain in Haiti even as people continue to flee the ravaged country despite an immigration crackdown by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, U.S. authorities deported more than 100 Haitians to their homeland on the latest such flight. Jacques Plédé, 87, was among those dressed in all white who gathered to give thanks in Port-au-Prince, of which 85% is now controlled by gangs. He recalled helping build the small church but never thought it would serve as a substitute for the Saut-d'Eau waterfall. 'It's very disgraceful for the country that the gangs are taking over one of the nicest waterfalls where people go to pray privately,' he said. 'Life is not over. One day, if I'm still alive, I'll make it back to Saut-d'Eau.' Gang leaders visit a revered church On the morning of March 31, the Canaan gang led by a man known as 'Jeff' attacked Saut-d'Eau. Police and a self-defense group repelled the attack, but the gang returned in early April with more than 500 men, prompting residents and authorities to flee, according to a new report from the U.N. human rights office. Angry over the ongoing violence and what the United Nations described as 'weak responses from authorities,' residents of Saut-d'Eau and other nearby communities in May and June took over a hydroelectric plant in protest, causing widespread power outages in Haiti's capital and its central region. On Wednesday, videos posted on social media showed Jeff Larose, leader of the Canaan gang, standing in the large church of Saut-d'Eau that traditionally hosted the annual Mass amid the three-day pilgrimage. Next to him, in the largely empty church, stood Joseph Wilson, who goes by 'Lanmo Sanjou' and is the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, and Jimmy Chérizier, best known as 'Barbecue" and one of the leaders of a powerful gang federation known as ' Viv Ansanm,' or 'Living Together.' The video showed them distributing money to some residents who gathered with their arms outstretched. 'They used to stop us from coming to Mount Carmel,' Barbecue said. 'We are at the foot of our mother now.' At one point, Lanmo Sanjou looked at the camera and said the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel would give them the opportunity to perform more miracles. 'Everybody needs protection' The sounds of laughter and gurgling water were absent on Wednesday at the church in Haiti's chaotic capital where the substitute pilgrimage was underway. Hugens Jean, 40, recalled how he and his family in previous years would visit Saut-d'Eau, where they would wash themselves in the waters and cook meals in the nearby woods. 'Today is a very special day,' he said. 'I come here to pray for deliverance for my family and for the country that's in the hands of gangs. One day, we need to be free from these systematic attacks. We don't know who's going to live today or who's going to die tomorrow.' Joane Durosier, a 60-year-old Vodou priestess known as a 'mambo,' shared a similar lament. Dressed in white with a rosary in hand, Durosier said she was praying for herself and her followers. 'A lot of people are suffering,' she said. 'In a country like Haiti, everybody needs protection.' ___ Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
Thousands of Haitians Mark Annual Pilgrimage Far From a Sacred Waterfall Surrounded by Gangs
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – The massive crowd that would gather once a year at a revered waterfall in central Haiti, where the faithful would splash in its sacred waters and rub their bodies with aromatic leaves, was not there on Wednesday. Powerful gangs in March attacked the town of Saut-d'Eau, whose 100-foot-long waterfall had for decades drawn thousands of Vodou and Christian faithful alike. The town remains under gang control, preventing thousands from participating in the traditional annual pilgrimage meant to honor the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, closely associated with the Vodou goddess Erzulie. 'Not going to Saut-d'Eau is terrible,' said Ti-Marck Ladouce. 'That water is so fresh, it just washes off all the evilness around you.' Instead, Ladouce joined several thousand people who scrambled up a steep hill in a rural part of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Wednesday to honor Erzulie and the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel at a small church that served as a substitute for the waterfall. Like many, Ladouce thanked the Virgin Mary for keeping him and his family alive amid a surge of gang violence that has left at least 4,864 people dead from October to the end of June across Haiti, with hundreds of others kidnapped, raped, and trafficked. 'People are praying to be saved,' he said. A church bursting at its seams, Daniel Jean-Marcel opened his arms, closed his eyes, and turned toward the sky as people around him lit candles, clutched rosaries, and tried to push their way into the small church that could not hold the crowd gathered around it. Jean-Marcel said he was giving thanks for the grace of being able to continue living in Port-au-Prince, where gang violence has displaced more than 1.3 million people in recent years. 'There is nowhere for us to go,' he said, adding that he and his family would remain in Haiti even as people continue to flee the ravaged country, despite an immigration crackdown by the administration of US President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, US authorities deported more than 100 Haitians to their homeland on the latest such flight. Jacques Plédé, 87, was among those dressed in all white who gathered to give thanks in Port-au-Prince, of which 85 percent is now controlled by gangs. He recalled helping build the small church but never thought it would serve as a substitute for the Saut-d'Eau waterfall. 'It's very disgraceful for the country that the gangs are taking over one of the nicest waterfalls where people go to pray privately,' he said. 'Life is not over. One day, if I'm still alive, I'll make it back to Saut-d'Eau.' On the morning of March 31, the Canaan gang, led by a man known as Jeff, attacked Saut-d'Eau. Police and a self-defense group repelled the attack, but the gang returned in early April with more than 500 men, prompting residents and authorities to flee, according to a new report from the UN human rights office. Angry over the ongoing violence and what the United Nations described as weak responses from authorities, residents of Saut-d'Eau and other nearby communities in May and June took over a hydroelectric plant in protest, causing widespread power outages in Haiti's capital and its central region. On Wednesday, videos posted on social media showed Jeff Larose, leader of the Canaan gang, standing in the large church of Saut-d'Eau that traditionally hosted the annual Mass amid the three-day pilgrimage. Next to him in the largely empty church stood Joseph Wilson, who goes by Lanmo Sanjou and is the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, and Jimmy Chérizier, best known as Barbecue and one of the leaders of a powerful gang federation known as Viv Ansanm, or Living Together. The video showed them distributing money to some residents who gathered with their arms outstretched. 'They used to stop us from coming to Mount Carmel,' Barbecue said. 'We are at the foot of our mother now.' At one point, Lanmo Sanjou looked at the camera and said the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel would give them the opportunity to perform more miracles. The sounds of laughter and gurgling water were absent on Wednesday at the church in Haiti's chaotic capital, where the substitute pilgrimage was underway. Hugens Jean, 40, recalled how he and his family in previous years would visit Saut-d'Eau, where they would wash themselves in the waters and cook meals in the nearby woods. 'Today is a very special day,' he said. 'I come here to pray for deliverance for my family and for the country that's in the hands of gangs. One day we need to be free from these systematic attacks. We don't know who's going to live today or who's going to die tomorrow.' Joane Durosier, a 60-year-old Vodou priestess known as a mambo, shared a similar lament. Dressed in white with a rosary in hand, Durosier said she was praying for herself and her followers. 'A lot of people are suffering,' she said. 'In a country like Haiti, everybody needs protection.' ___ Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Southend-on-Sea disorder group sentenced for July 2024 fights
Ten people have been sentenced after "two rival gangs" fought with machetes on a watched on as the violent disorder erupted by the beach and High Street in Southend-on-Sea on 30 July followed an invite to bring alcohol, drugs and nitrous oxide to a "beach rave" on what had been the hottest day of the defendants, aged between 15 and 19, were given prison sentences of up to eight years at Basildon Crown Court. They were spotted on CCTV gathering in side streets before clashing in the city least two were seriously injured, with one airlifted to the Royal London Hospital with a serious stab wound. The defendants were sentenced across two days at Omo-Irogho, 19, of Clarendon Road in Watford, admitted assaulting an emergency worker, violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced to three years and three months in prisonMichael King, 18, of Crescent Road in South Woodford, north-east London, admitted violent disorder and conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm (GBH). He was sentenced to seven years and six months in prisonMekai Brown, 19, of Higham Road in Woodford Green, north-east London, admitted violent disorder and conspiring to commit GBH. He was sentenced to eight years in prisonLucas Braga, 18, from Pitchford Street in Stratford, east London, admitted violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced to two years in prisonIsaac Bello, 18, of Prospect Road in Woodford Green, admitted violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced to two years in prisonHamza Dinbil, 18, of Corporation Street in Stratford, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison Four boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were also sentenced:A 17-year-old from London admitted violent disorder, conspiracy to commit GBH, possession of a prohibited firearm and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence. He was sentenced to six years and 11 months in prisonA 17-year-old from London admitted violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced to a referral order, to be decided at a later dateA 17-year-old from Basildon in Essex admitted violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced to a 20-month detention and training orderA 15-year-old from Pitsea in Essex admitted violent disorder, conspiracy to commit GBH and possession of an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to an 18-month detention and training order There was no suggestion the violence was committed by those who attended the beach rave, for which invites were circulated on social media.A source at Southend-on-Sea City Council said people had been enjoying the hot weather throughout the day."As the day developed, there were two rival gangs and that's where it broke out," they said last July."It was London postcode wars spilling out on the streets of Southend."A video appeared to show at least four people dressed in black and brandishing large knives near the Adventure Island theme Supt Chris Bradford said they were now facing "the consequences of their reckless and dangerous actions". Officers seized seven weapons during the disorder, which began at about 19:00 were given extra stop and search powers in areas including Marine Parade, Pier Hill, High Street, Western Esplanade and both the city's railway Alaba, the Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford, said he was left "speechless" by what have continued working to identify two more people they believed were involved in the Ch Insp Louise Metcalfe said: "While there are others outstanding for their role in last year's disorder, we will be looking for them." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Three jailed over murder of Swedish hip-hop star C Gambino
Three men in their 20s have been given long jail terms for their part in the fatal shooting of award-winning hip-hop artist C Gambino in Gothenburg last year.C Gambino, whose real name was Karar Ramadan, had been named hip-hop artist of 2023 in Sweden's Grammis music awards a month before he was murdered, in what prosecutors described as a ruthless and premeditated three men were convicted of aiding and abetting murder, and two of them were cleared of murder, as the Gothenburg court ruled it could not be established beyond reasonable doubt who had fired the fatal gun that killed C Gambino has never been found and a car used in the shooting was later found burned out. C Gambino's murder has been linked to a local gangland conflict, although the motive remains a mystery. Prosecutors said there was no evidence to suggest that he was part of any criminal several years Sweden's biggest cities have been beset by gang violence that have claimed dozens of lives, often involving children recruited to carry out violent rapper, who was 26, was shot at a multistorey car park in Gothenburg in June 2024 in what the court said was a carefully planned attack and had the character of a "pure execution".Investigators were unable to find DNA traces of the attackers but did map their movements from mobile phones around the time of the prosecutor also told Swedish public broadcaster SVT that police had been able to use hours of CCTV footage from the car park and showed the killers' vehicle entering the car park more than a week before the shooting, and then waiting for hours before the attack took place as C Gambino returned home from the gym late in the he was able to raise the alarm, emergency services who arrived at the scene were unable to use their communication system and had to shout to each other, SVT artist died in hospital about an hour its verdict, the court gave a 22-year-old man a life sentence in jail, while two others aged 21 and 20 were handed terms of 15 and a half years and 12 and a half years respectively,A fourth man, aged 19, was convicted of setting fire to their gang-related case concluded on Wednesday with a 14-year-old boy found guilty of shooting dead a man in his home on the order of one of Sweden's most notorious gangs, other boys were convicted: one for conspiracy and another for preparing the murder in Skurup in southern Sweden. None of the three will face punishment because they are below the age of criminal responsibility, which is 15 in victim of the Skurup murder was targeted because his son had refused to carry out an attack for the Foxtrot in Iraqi Kurdistan have meanwhile arrested a key figure in the Foxtrot gang, according to Swedish suspect is described as close to gang leader Rawa Majid and has been linked to a number of killings in Sweden, including the Skurup shooting.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
One of multiple suspects arrested in shooting at Boynton ‘Peace in the Hood' event
A 19-year-old was arrested Saturday in connection with the July 5 shooting in Boynton Beach after he voluntarily went to police and said that while he was at the 'Peace in the Hood' event and did pull out a gun, he wasn't one of the people to shoot, according to court records. At least 500 people gathered at Sara Sims Park for the unpermitted event, where 'rival gang members' started shooting at each other about 8 p.m., Boynton Beach Police previously said. Three women were struck when bullets flew in the large crowd, which included children, along with multiple occupied and unoccupied cars. The police department previously said within two days of the shooting they had 'multiple persons of interest,' though no one had been arrested as of Friday. Jamarion Petty went to the police station on Saturday after he saw a be-on-the-lookout alert with his information on it, according to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest. Surveillance cameras in the park recorded the moment gunfire erupted between members of the '16th Ave Boys' and the 'Cherry Hill Boyz' gangs, the affidavit said. Members of 16th Ave Boys were standing next to a fence on the south side of the park while members of the rival gang were across the street next to the Community Deliverance Church in the 200 block of Northwest Ninth Avenue. Multiple people from both groups pulled out guns and started shooting as there were 'hundreds of innocent bystanders, including numerous children, walking through the area,' the affidavit said. The gunmen continued 'blindly' shooting without aim, even as they were running away from one another, and at least five cars were shot, the affidavit said. Diamond Delk, one of the injured, told police a man standing near her on the south side of the park was the person who started the shootout, aiming toward the church parking lot, according to the affidavit. Delk was struck in her hip, fracturing her leg, and now has 'severe mobility issues,' her attorney, Richard A. Ryles said at a news conference last week. He filed a notice of claim with the city on Thursday, blaming the city and the police department for not shutting down the unsanctioned event before the shooting unfolded. The police department in response to questions last week said that the shooting didn't happen on city-owned property. The event's organizer, who lives in Lake Worth Beach, applied for a special-event permit on June 17 to use the park as the venue for the 'Stop Violence Awareness' rally with 50 to 100 people until about 8:30 p.m., according to emails the police department provided to the Sun Sentinel. The permit was denied, but the event went on anyway. At the police station on Saturday, Petty said he was at the event alone when he heard gunshots, according to the affidavit, so he took out a small gun and ran toward a house but 'was adamant that he did NOT shoot' it. Petty identified himself in a photo from the park's surveillance cameras. A detective showed Petty video allegedly of him running alongside someone while shooting his gun, with smoke visibly coming out of the end of the barrel, according to the affidavit. While at the police station, Petty was apparently wearing the same Nike sandals he was seen wearing in the surveillance video. They were taken into evidence. Petty was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on Saturday and faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and discharging a firearm in public, court and jail records show. He has not yet entered any plea. He is held without bond. The police department as of Monday has not released information about the arrest or its investigation. 'We do still have multiple persons of interest,' spokesperson Chelsea Sanabia said. 'We hope to have more information in the next few days.'
