Pedestrians in Haiti like their counterparts in many Third World/Developing nations have no security or rights when walking the streets. This is NOT an exaggeration but the honest to God truth. Every vehicle has complete right of way and the freedom to drive up to a walking and avoiding them by mere inches. It doe not matter if this is some callous rich person driving his Land Rover and in a hurry to do business or get home -- this is also the excepted practice for everyone with a car including well-known NGO’s that raise funds to operate for the Haitian peoples’ welfare or Church and religious organizations that preach values to respect your neighbors. Diplomatic cars with immunity are also prime offenders.
This situation is not exclusive to Haiti but is the case in every poor country where foreigners and the in country elite take advantage of special privileges and very lax police oversight (many who look the other way in exchange for gifts/bribes). The last country that I visited exhibiting this same king of shocking road madness was the Congo, D.R. There I saw dogs being hit left and right in front of children – and once a pedestrian, a woman carrying water on her head. Bystanders rushed to her aid and she got up but the offending driver honked incessantly to get the crowd to move. She was standing up when our car passed.
Some of you know that I am physically challenged (no complaints, just an observation). I have had quadruple bypass and have coronary disease; I have serious diabetic neuropathy that affects walking and my eyesight; and while doing street outreach, I fell and broke my right arm – TWICE in the space of three months – necessitating surgery for a steel pin to attach my lower and right arm above the elbow (I also had broken finger and toe bones). So I walk very carefully now especially in traffic.
In Port-au-Prince, simply the worst city traffic conditions that I have seen mostly due to major earthquake damage, I have been extra cautious and tried crossing the road waiting for a break in the traffic. However, vehicles of all sizes rush upon me and honk and honk and honk! I could not turn back to go the other way.
On two occasions I made a gesture of striking the vehicle and if I had my walking cane I would have struck out. I hit the side of one passing car and he was surprised.
Yet the dirty little secret is everyone is cognizant of the fact that as a white man, I have special rights. It is decidedly not fair but that is the truth. Even vehicles accustomed to their own way, are aware that hitting a white foreigner would be inviting trouble and police (investigation and resulting bribes).
That said, I am as guilty as the drivers and their privileged passengers because when people drive me in this maddening manner, usually to help the TeenAIDS’ mission, I don’t say enough. I compromise my principles along with offending church people, foreign government aid workers, diplomatic personnel, etc. When you think about it, we should all be embarrassed by our acceptance of this racist, class attitude that preys on poor pedestrians including little children walking to and from class.
You can see the fear and anger on pedestrians’ faces especially parents holding on to their babies in a death-grip. We did say “Watch out” a few times in frustration. Yet, one afternoon, t Maryna, Samantha and I yelled in unison when we thought that a weakened, hungry dog was going to be hit by our car and ones coming the other direction.
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