News
US Marshals step up hunt for murder suspect Janvier
By Bill Forry
May. 8, 2013
Jean Weevens Janvier: Wanted for murder of Emile sisters in 2011.US Marshals are teaming up with Boston Police to find a Dorchester man who has been on the run since he allegedly murdered two sisters in their Harlem Street apartment in Nov. 2011. The United States Marshals Service is offering a reward for tips that will lead to the capture and successful prosecution of 32 year-old Jean Weevens Janvier, a naturalized US citizen who was born in Haiti and who is the only suspect in the killings of Stephanie and Judith Emile.
Janvier was indicted in the double murder by a Suffolk County Grand Jury last April. Prosecutors said that Janvier had been in a previous romantic relationship with Stephanie Emile, 21, who was found shot to death alongside her sister, Judith, 23, in their Harlem Street apartment on Nov. 14, 2011. When police responded, a toddler was found in the apartment with the two deceased sisters. Read more
Linda Dorcena Forry wins historic victory in State Senate primary
By Reporter Staff
May. 2, 2013
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State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry of Dorchester hardly flinched in the mid-evening hours of Tuesday as The Boston Globe and the Associated Press were reporting that state Rep. Nick Collins, her opponent from South Boston, would win the Democratic nomination in the special election to represent the First Suffolk District in the state Senate.
Despite those calls by the local media, all the ballots in 77 precincts across South Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, and parts of Hyde Park had not yet been counted, and when the unofficial results were posted a few hours later, it was Dorcena Forry who was on top, by 378 votes out of 21,730 cast.
See a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of the election returns (PDF). Read more
Boston Haitian woman among those hurt in marathon bombings
By Bill Forry
Apr. 23, 2013
A 30 year-old Mattapan mother is among the victims recovering from a terrible injury sustained in Monday's terror attack on Boylston Street. Marie Daniel lost her leg when one of two explosions tore through a crowd of innocents standing near the finish line.
Her husband, Richardson Daniel, said that she is now in stable condition thanks to heroic work of first responders and caregivers at Massachusetts General Hospital, who saved her life.
"Her heart stopped twice," said Mr. Daniels, a native of Haiti, like his young wife. "They re-animated her in the ER and again in the operating room. They needed to operate on her right away. She is getting excellent care." Read more
Freedom Rising: Danny Glover, Edwidge Danticat will shine spotlight on Haiti's role in America's emancipation
By Bill Forry
Apr. 11, 2013
Toussaint L'Ouverture portrait by de GirardinIn commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and of the first black Civil War troops from the North, several Greater Boston educational, historical, and cultural organizations are collaborating to present Freedom Rising: The 150th Anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation and African American Military Service in the Civil War from May 2 through 4, 2013.
On Saturday, May 4, a special performance called "Roots of Liberty – The Haitian Revolution and the American Civil War" will be staged at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church, 88 Tremont St., Boston at 5 p.m.. Produced by Underground Railway Theater, in residence at Central Square Theater, the performance will include special guests Danny Glover, author Edwidge Danticat, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Danny Glover will be performing one of the key historical figures in Roots of Liberty.
The first-ever performance celebrates the Haitian revolutionary hero Toussaint Louverture and the impact of the Haitian Revolution on the American Civil War – the antislavery movement and African American soldiers. It is set in Boston’s historic Tremont Temple, where the Emancipation Proclamation was read in 1863. Read more
Study finds quake aid largely went to US groups
By Trenton Daniel, Associated Press
Apr. 9, 2013
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A new report on American aid to Haiti in the wake of that country's devastating earthquake finds much of the money went to U.S.-based companies and organizations.
The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzed the $1.15 billion pledged after the January 2010 quake and found that the ``vast majority'' of the money it could follow went straight to U.S. companies or organizations, more than half in the Washington area alone.
Just 1 percent went directly to Haitian companies. Read more
Rep. Forry to seek State Senate seat in special election
By Gintautas Dumcius, Reporter Staff
Feb. 22, 2013
State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, the second Haitian-American elected to public office in Massachusetts and the only one still at the State House, is making a bid for the upper chamber. If elected, Dorcena Forry would be the Bay State’s first Haitian-American state senator.
Rep. Forry is part of a field of candidates aiming to replace former state Sen. Jack Hart, who left for a job at Nelson Mullins, a top law firm. State Rep. Nick Collins, a colleague in the House, is also running, as is fellow South Boston native Maureen Dahill. All are Democrats, and a Republican, Joseph Ureneck, has pulled nomination papers.
The heavily Democratic district will likely mean that the April 30 Democratic primary will determine the eventual occupant of the First Suffolk Senate seat. The general election is set for May 28.
Dorcena Forry is the daughter of Haitian immigrants who live in Uphams Corner. She is married to Reporter publisher and editor Bill Forry of Lower Mills. Read more
Boston's own Lisa Moise offers sweet treat to the ears
By Steve Desrosiers, Contributing Editor
Feb. 21, 2013
Lisa MoiseLisa Moise
Boite de Chocolat
Boston’s own Lisa Moise recently released a first effort for the hearts and minds of music lovers. The independently released “Boite de Chocolat” features 10 original compositions all of which are manned by a cast of talented local musicians and producers.
It’s been a while since we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing the work of a local artist and we’re happy Lisa’s release provides a chance to prominently feature a homegrown product. Boite de Chocolat being among the few releases from a female artist this year is special because Lisa represents a new generation of young women coming into the scene who may be poised to continue the work of the many fine and unsung female artists who have made serious contributions to Haiti’s expansive library of music.
“Boite de Chocolat” truly is a sweet and varied adventure in sound. The performances that stand out on this release include the acoustic-pop-hip-hop “Chanje” a song with a distinctly American instrumental bent but sung in Haitian Kreyol and enunciated with an American finesse that very few singers are able to pull off effectively. Read more
Logan Airport exhibit to feature ‘Haitian Art in Transit’
By Bill Forry
Dec. 21, 2012
December edition: Above, The Oath, an oil painting by Charlot Lucien, will be among the paintings displayed at a Logan Airport exhibition next month.The Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts — in conjunction with Massport and the U.S. Fund for Unicef— will launch an art exhibition at Logan airport next month. The exhibition, “Haitian Art in Transit” is described as “a celebration honoring the paintings of Haitian artists from Massachusetts and Jacmel, Haiti.”
A reception to launch the display will be held on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 5:45 p.m. The exhibition will be held in art space in the airport’s terminal A.
About 60 magnificent pieces — many of which evoke the memory of those who perish during the 2010 earthquake — will be part of the exhibition. Read more
Young man shot dead during student protest in Port-au-Prince
By Evens Sanon, Associated Press
Nov. 19, 2012
An unidentified man was shot dead on Nov. 16 while students staged another demonstration in a week of small but raucous street protests in the capital's downtown, authorities said. Read more
Gov. Patrick: New federal law clears way for in-state tuition
By Matt Murphy, State House News Service
Nov. 19, 2012
Some young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children will become eligible to pay in-state tuition rates at public universities and community colleges in Massachusetts as part of a new federal program put in place over the summer by President Barack Obama, according to a senior Patrick administration official. Read more
Community mourns loss of leader, merchant André Auguste
By Wilner Auguste
Nov. 16, 2012
André AugusteAndré Auguste, a businessman and the patriarch of the Auguste family of Grand Goave, Haiti, died on Sept. 2 at 88. Auguste, who owned the Yvanhoe Shoe Shop on Morton Street in Dorchester, passed away at the Westacres Nursing Home in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Born in Port-au-Prince on August 24, 1924, Andre was the oldest of five sons of Francois Auguste of Grand Goave and Felicine Desir of Jacmel. Andre left school and went to work at an early age to support his four brothers, Jean-Felixtene, Esmangat, Gerard and Edner after the passing of his father and an illness that disabled his mother. Read more
Cab drivers seek remedy to unfair pay in courts
By India Smith, Special to the Reporter
Nov. 14, 2012
Taxis in Boston
After two years driving a taxi, Yogesh Sagar has decided to seek justice.
“On a typical weekday, I might bring in $150 in fares, but with all the fees the cab company collects, there might be $40 left,” said Sagar, 58. So after weighing the risks, Sagar has volunteered to be lead plaintiff in a new lawsuit filed last month in Middlesex Superior Court against Ambassador Brattle Taxi of Cambridge.
The suit is the latest in a series of actions filed by Boston attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan on behalf of taxi drivers. Liss-Riordan is suing Boston Cab, the Independent Taxi Operators Association and other large fleet owners as well as the City of Boston for practices she contends violate Massachusetts employment law. Read more
Human rights lawyer Mario Joseph discusses his work, challenges
By Staff
Nov. 2, 2012
Human Rights Attorney Mario Joseph of the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux discusses his work to rebuild the Haitian justice system in the above video, which is part of a video series sponsored by the Boston-based Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. Joseph has been the subject of intimidation and threats recently because of his work. Read more
Airplane cleaners allege discrimination at Logan
By Andy Metzger, STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Oct. 17, 2012
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 17, 2012….Flights into Logan International Airport arrive from all over the world, but according to two complaints, a company hired to clean some airplanes took a hard line against workers speaking Haitian Creole.
“It’s discrimination,” said Charles Pierre, a Lynn resident who came to the area in March 2010, shortly after a devastating earthquake that killed his mother. Read more
Lawyer with Boston ties says government is persecuting him
By Associated Press
Oct. 9, 2012
PORT-AU-PRINCE— A prominent Haitian lawyer and his law firm say he's being persecuted for work that is politically at odds with the government of President Michel Martelly. Attorney Mario Joseph says he has been subjected to an escalating series of menacing phone calls, harassment and intimidation over the past year.
Joseph has worked closely with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, a non-profit organization located in South Boston. Read more