#virtual town hall | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

boredzillenial · 2 months

Note

For your blurbs

How about Basil Stitt crushing on a Dasher/ delivery girl

As sweet or spicy as you are feeling. 🙈

Yes Chef! 🫡

Theme: Basil breaks down and orders pizza. A.N: Just a lil awkwardness and a few too many interruptions lol

Empty, completely fucking empty… Basil thought as he stared at the barren interior of his fridge. He went to grab a lone beer when his stomach growled, begging for anything more substantial.

Anxiety rippled through him at the thought of leaving his darkened apartment. I’m hideous, can’t let anyone see me like this… It’d only been a few days since “the incident” and he hadn’t left his place since. He paced for a moment before a pizza menu haphazardly tossed on the ground caught his eye. He shrugged and dialed the number as he slouched back on the couch.

“Gianni’s Pizza what’ll ya have?” Your curt voice had him shoot forward. His heart hammered in his chest at your voice. All at once memories of conversations came to his mind. It’d started as chit-chat, and through months of ordering you two had developed a rapport, even a bit of flirting.

Despite the clipped tone it still hit something inside him. “Hello?” You sighed on the other end, “Look if this is those stupid kids you’re not funny. Im hanging up-“

“No wait!” Basil blurted. “I - I need to place an order, for delivery.”

“Basil?” Your tone softened, “I’m so sorry, these fucking kids -“ you sighed. “You want your usual?”

He nodded. “Hello?” Your voice rang softly in the receiver.

“Sorry! Sorry yeah I guess Pepp-”

“Pepperoni half olives and cheesy bread.” Your voice seemed to lift a bit at the familiarity of the order.

He stopped for a moment, somewhat comforted that you actually remembered. “Ah actually, no olives. Cinnamon bread instead of cheesy.” His hand rubbed across the back of his neck as he paced across the hardwood.

“No? Catherine out of town again?” You asked so nonchalantly it nearly hurt.

“Catherine is, out. Yeah - no she chea-“ Basil stopped himself, you didn’t wanna hear about his personal life. Your gasp nearly made his heart stop.

“You’re joking! What a b-“ you stopped yourself. “It’ll be by in 10 alright? Just hang tight.” You hung up.

Basil crinkled his brow as he stared at the phone, you’d sounded like… like you cared.

The minutes passed faster than he thought possible as he fumbled for cash around his apartment. He figured he could just slip it under the door when you came. No one should see him like this.

A light but antsy knock sounded on the door. “Pizza. It’s me!” Your light voice muffled slightly by the thin door set his nerves alight.

“T-thanks.” Basil called from his side, pressing close and peeking through the peep-hole at your beautiful face.

Confusion etched into your features as you waited for the door to open. “Basil?”

“Oh right, here.” Shuffling sounded as two 20s awkwardly slipped under the front door. “Keep the change.”

“Basil I, I wanted to talk. Are you alright?” He could see you worry your bottom lip as you glanced along the empty hall.

“Fine! Ah, sick I don’t want you to catch it.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he watched you. Please please just leave. You couldn’t see him like this…

“Oh ah, feel better.” Sadness knitted your brow a moment before you set the pizza and bag of cinnamon bread on the ground. You went to say something but caught yourself. Instead putting your hand up to the door and signing softly.

Basil watched with his heart hammering away in his chest. Watched until he heard the elevator ding and was sure you’d left. When he opened the door the first this to surprise him is the money still sitting just on the other side, the second was some writing left on the box.

Your cell number along with a note,

Her loss, call me ;)

———————————

Apologies for the clunkiness I’m still getting back in the swing of writing between a new job and BG3 stealing me away (gettin all the kisses from my virtual husband Halsin 😘)

Taglist: @melodygatesauthor @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @ominoose @romana-after-dark @lunar-ghoulie @flowercrownonapegion @howellatme @mooksmouse @ahookedheroespureheart @beezusvreeland @auntiegigi @moonkxit @faretheeoscar

#basil stitt fanfiction #basil stitt x you #basil stitt x reader #basil stitt #drabble requests #so sorry it’s been so long #and I’m V rusty 😭

69 notes · View notes

xoxomoonlightxoxo · 5 months

Text

P&C | Ch. 9: Almost Had You

➪ Playlist (Spotify) l Series Masterlist

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 …

The countdown appeared on the screen, setting off a bright flash as Jungkook and I posed for the photos. The sequence of the first 3 captures was cute, just us acting out our respective characters or pretending to be disgusted by one another. That is until I'm inches away from Jungkook's face, both of us hiding behind his hat. I let out a small gasp, his gaze lowered on my lips.

“Wha … what?” I try to speak before the camera flashes again. Looking up at my confused eyes, he lets out a chuckle, scooting closer as we observe the printed photos.

“Jungkook, what the heck?” I say, hitting his forearm. “I can't show these to anyone now” I point to the last photo, which does not fit our friendly theme.

“Why not? Nothing happened,” he grins, leaning his head back.

“Nothing happened my ass, it's obviously suggestive,” I roll my eyes.

“Let their imagination run wild then. I'm putting mine in my wallet, you can put yours on your bulletin board, I heard manifesting is popular these days,” he lets out a teasing chuckle, scrunching his nose.

“HA HA HA, who says I want you anyways?” I reply cockily, twirling my hair.

“You don't have to say it Peaches, your cheeks speak for themselves,” he grins, whispering into my ear. The concept of personal space is virtually nonexistent at this point. He is such a tease. But I’m not so innocent either, moving closer, I strategically place my hand on his chest, our lips inches apart. I can tell he is enjoying this from the way his breathing slows. Looking up at his closed eyes, I can’t help but smile, caressing the scar on his left cheek. He melts into my touch but I can’t let him win so easily.

The burning sensation between us is disrupted as I suddenly move my face to the side, letting out an innocent ‘oops’. Jungkook grins and rests his forehead on mine, goosebumps covering my skin as I feel his breath on my neck.

“Almost had you,” he says softly, eyes still closed, and before I can reply his lips touch my cheek. Eyes wide, I look up at his form which is now heading toward the door.

“YAH” I yell, before making sure we didn’t leave anything behind. After saying goodbye to the staff, we zipped up and walked back to the car. My cheeks still flushed.

Jiah: Hey lovely, I know you can’t go back home for Thanksgiving, so I’m arranging a trip for us.

Mira: Oh babes, you don’t have to. That’s too much trouble. We can just have a sleepover or something …

Jiah: Babe, a sleepover at our grown age?

Mira: We had one last week … :(

Jiah: Whatever, I want this for us. My aunt will be out of town for next week and said we could use her cottage. Please pack according to the weather but also grab a few swimsuits ;))

Before I can reply, my phone rings, no caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hey Flip-flops, it’s me Tae,’” from his voice I can just tell he is giving me a boxy smile right now.

“Tae, did you change your number?” I ask, putting him on speakerphone as I begin prepping for dinner.

“Yeah, I dropped my phone into the toilet but everyone else thinks I broke it while biking, so you better keep your lips shut,” he chuckles. What a goof. “Anyways, I was gonna get food from the dining hall, do you want to join me?”

“Oh …” I giggle looking down at the cut potatoes and carrots. “Yeah, sure,” I quickly reply, putting everything back into the fridge.

“Sick, I’ll meet you downstairs in say 5 minutes?”

“Sure, I’ll see you then,”

As the elevator doors open, I can see Tae standing beside the entrance. Wearing his orange tracksuit he looks like Vector from Despicable Me, but I pass on the opportunity to tease him. Instead, we exchange waves and make our way inside.

The dining hall is less busy than usual as most people have already left back home for the holiday. Unfortunately, only the ones that are separated from their family by an actual ocean are left on campus. I have already been feeling homesick since school started but seeing the empty libraries and lecture halls is setting off an array of emotions within me. It’s the first year I won’t be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and I know both parties are accepting it with a very heavy heart. The last time I talked with my mom she told me that she found my dad looking at my baby picture in his wallet for what seemed like hours. Poor guy only shows emotions when he thinks no one is watching. My mom on the other hand began crying as soon as I accepted her call.

Grabbing an extra strawberry milk, Tae and I walk towards an empty table. By the looks of our stuffed platter, it’s obvious that this would be our first meal of the day.

“So, where did you go after class yesterday? You left in a hurry, is everything alright?” he asks, offering me some kimchi which I forgot to grab. I kindly accept it, trying to think of a reasonable scenario that would not include Jungkook kissing my cheek.

“Oh, I um, had to drop off Jungkook’s clothes,” I quickly reply with a soft smile, hoping that the conversation would end there.

“So, what are you guys?” I choke from his straightforwardness. He doesn’t walk around the point but rather plunges head-first into it.

“Pardon?” I exclaim, wiping the strawberry milk dripping down my chin.

“Well, I mean, from all the years I’ve known Jungkook he has never been this interactive with a girl. Concerning really,” he exclaims, chuckling at the mess I made.

“We’re just friends,” I reassure him. “But, what, you mean to tell me he has never had a girlfriend before? The Jungkook? Can’t be,” I grin, raising my eyebrow, cracking my back on the wooden chair.

“He has, but it never lasted more than 3 months, and after his last relationship, it seemed like he gave up on it altogether,” Tae explains, finishing up the last scoops of his fried rice. “That is until you guys met,” he grins.

“Oh stop it,” I chuckle, rolling my eyes.

“What? You don’t find him attractive?”

“No,” I quickly reply, letting out a teasing grin. You can smell the lie from miles away and Tae is not a fool, but sarcasm has become one of my most valuable coping mechanisms.

“I totally get it, I’m still not sure why we’re not together?” he looks me dead in the eyes, taking a bite of his apple.

“You can suck my toe at a 45-degree angle, Kim Taehyung,” I snap back, blowing a sarcastic kiss, earning a big chuckle.

“Kinky, just how I like,” he catches the kiss and places it near his heart. We both burst out laughing at how stupid we sound. I’m comfortable with Tae but neither of us actually wants to be anything more than friends. We suit the roles of besties just fine, and unlike Jungkook, Tae is a girl magnet. In virtually every setting you will be able to spot him with multiple girls surrounding him.

It was the night before our departure, so my dorm had become an absolute rat nest. At this point, I don’t even remember the colour of my carpet under all the scattered clothes. The weather is getting chillier but does not require a coat just yet, so I stick to packing cardigans and hoodies. Sneaking in two pairs of swimsuits as per Jiah’s request, I doubt they’ll even see the light of day because I can’t swim. Actually, that’s a lie, just give me 10 minutes in the pool and I’ll be able to function but in literally any other scenario I will 100% drown.

My thoughts are interrupted by an incoming Facetime call, it's Jungkook. Quickly taming my second-day hair I check my reflection on the TV, it's 11 pm so I’m not about to radiate ethereal energy but a little touch-up wouldn’t hurt.

“Hi Peaches,” Jungkook smiles, resting his head on his arm. Cozied up in his white duvet, my eyes are still able to make out the tattoos on his exposed biceps.

“Hey, why aren’t you sleeping?” I quickly reply, placing my phone against the fruit bowl, as I continue packing.

“Couldn’t fall asleep so I decided to see if you were up,” he explains, leaning in closer to check what I was wearing. Because I had to wash all of my clothes for the trip, I was down to some spandex shorts and a tank top. Not spending much thought on it I continued to pack, completely oblivious to the amount of exposed skin I was showing.

“Bring those shorts on the trip,” he suggests letting out a teasing grin.

“Would you like that?” I play along, as he nods with his big doe eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

“You should bring a pen to sign the restraining order I’m about to write,” I grin, sending a flying kiss to his dumbfounded state. He laughs at my quick comeback and we spend the rest of the night talking about the trip.

“I’ll pick you and Tae up early in the morning so please make sure he actually wakes up,” he says as soft yawns escape his mouth. I nod and dive into my warm duvet. After mentally checking that everything had been packed, we both set our alarm clocks before falling asleep on call.

Previous l Next

#bts #bangtan #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook x yn #bts x yn #jungkook fanfic #fanfic #jungkook smut #romance #young love #college love #slow burn #jungkook angst #jungkook fluff #jungkook x female reader #jungkook imagine

29 notes · View notes

shefanispeculator · 1 month

Text

Blake Shelton knew exactly how to impress on the final night of his 2024 Back to the Honky Tonk Tour: lean into his roots and call up his friends. The Ada, Oklahoma, native’s Saturday night (March 30) performance at Tulsa’s BOK Center was brimming with guest performers, all fellow Okies. The special occasion was Oklahoma Is All for the Hall, a fundraiser for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s education programs. Even Gwen Stefani showed up to sing.

“Hey, everybody, say hello to my personal favorite new Oklahoman!” Shelton said to introduce his wife, the night’s only unannounced special guest. Stefani—lead singer of the band No Doubt, a solo artist, and, like Shelton, a former coach on the TV singing competition The Voice—joined her husband for a trio of songs midway through Shelton’s set. Together, they performed their two country radio chart-toppers, “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere,” as well as “Purple Irises,” a recently released duet from Stefani’s next album.

“I don’t know if you guys have a clue what you bought a ticket for. Get comfortable—this is gonna take a while, okay?” Shelton told the crowd after opening his set with 2021’s “Come Back as a Country Boy.” “We’re here for one reason tonight. . . . That’s to celebrate country music like Okies do.”

Shelton’s fans were up to the task. They knew all the words to “Some Beach” and “Austin,” a pair of Shelton’s early-career #1s. They cheered at every mention of their home state. They even showed up with gifts.

“When something’s cool, it’s cool,” Shelton said as he showed off a flag held by a fan close to the stage, featuring one of Shelton’s high school photos on one side and one of Stefani’s on the other.

“We were meant to be—look at those mullets!” Shelton joked.

Shelton performed more than twenty of his songs during the course of the evening, interspersed with appearances from his special guests. In between Shelton’s performances, Kristin Chenoweth, Wade Hayes, the Swon Brothers, and Country Music Hall of Fame members Ronnie Dunn and Vince Gill—all introduced by radio host Storme Warren of TuneIn Radio’s The Big 615—each offered up two songs of their own. (Additionally, local country artist Justin Adams opened the show.) Dunn’s mini-set, in particular, was warmly received, with the Brooks & Dunn member sharing memories of local honky-tonks Duke’s Country and Tulsa City Limits. “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” had the crowd line dancing at their seats.

Despite being, as she acknowledged, the outlier of the bunch, Broadway star Chenoweth earned one of the biggest standing ovations of the night. Accompanied only by Shelton’s keyboard player, Philip de Steiguer, she performed a gorgeous cover of the Willie Nelson hit “Always on My Mind” and brought the house down with a rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

“This is for anybody out there who has dreams just like I did growing up in this town,” said Chenoweth, who is originally from the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow.

That theme emerged once more during Gill’s set, when he shared an unreleased song, “Heroes.” He and guitarist Jack Schneider also performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” dedicating the song to Shelton’s brother Richie, who died in a car accident in 1990, and fellow Oklahoman and Country Music Hall of Fame member-elect Toby Keith, who died of cancer in February.

Gill began the All for the Hall series of fundraising concerts in 2005 by suggesting that country music artists donate the proceeds from one annual performance to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Shelton’s Saturday show raised nearly $800,000 for the nonprofit museum’s education programs, making it the most successful All for the Hall benefit offered outside of Nashville to date. The museum’s educational offerings directly served more than 230,000 people last year though in-person and virtual programs.

15 notes · View notes

invisibleicewands · 24 days

Text

Virtual Town Hall: A News Recovery Plan for Wales - 09/12/2020 #21

#Michael Sheen #Virtual Town Hall #A News Recovery Plan for Wales

27 notes · View notes

meelapindia · 2 months

Text

Virtual Town Hall Meetings

Virtual town hall meetings have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially with the advent of remote work and digital communication tools .These meetings provide a platform for organizations, communities, and leaders to connect with their constituents, employees, or members remotely.

#Town Hall Meetings #Virtual Town Hall

0 notes

reasoningdaily · 2 months

Text

Less than two months ago, parts of Port-au-Prince seemed like a ghost town. Streets and parks normally bustling with commerce and people were nearly empty.

Market women, who normally lined the roads selling everything from food to second-hand cellphones, were few and far between. Charred tires, piles of rocks, and makeshift barricades, the remnants of months of protests against the government, could be seen throughout the capital. The once pristine Petionville, an affluent suburb of Port-au-Prince, was barely recognizable in some parts, with trash overrunning the streets.

Over the last 18 months, Haiti has been in the throes of a perpetual cycle of protests — some violent — and unrest that has destabilized the country for weeks at a time. Years of pent-up frustration over rising inflation and basic costs of necessities on the island came to a boil during a week in July 2018, when the Haitian government nearly doubled fuel prices over night. The move, which was a condition for future aid imposed by the International Monetary Fund, sparked outrage that spilled into the streets, leaving Haiti’s capital charred by flames and fury. People were barricaded in their homes, offices, restaurants, while thousands of people took to the streets rallying against the fuel hike.

The Best Western, which permanently closed its doors on Oct. 31, loomed over Petionville as a symbolic and literal reminder of the state of affairs in Haiti. For many, the U.S.-based hotel chain’s arrival in the country had marked a positive new turn in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake.

Now, it seems, the hopeful signs have come undone. While daily life in Haiti has always been difficult for most Haitians, the past 18 months on the island have been particularly hard. As the country finds itself in the throes of a fluctuating political, economic and social crisis, the capital city has been virtually paralyzed, with schools, businesses, and banks closed for days, if not weeks, at a time.

This was not the Haiti anyone had hoped for 10 years after the disaster.

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010 killed roughly 300,000 people and displaced nearly a million more. While the epicenter of the earthquake was only 16 miles from Port-au-Prince, the tremor could be felt as far away as Cuba and Venezuela. The devastation was the single greatest humanitarian crisis the small-island country had ever faced. The capital’s already fragile infrastructure was nearly decimated, while the airport and seaports were rendered inoperable. The National Assembly building and Port-au-Prince Cathedral were also destroyed.

“There was a natural expectation that things would be done differently from there on because it was such a big tragedy and the way that that tragedy unfolded was in itself a reflection of choices that were made historically in the country in terms of governance,” said Ludovic Comeau Jr., professor of economics at DePaul University and former chief economist of Haiti’s central bank.

According to Comeau, most of the country’s wealth was severely impacted by the earthquake because of the centralization of Haiti’s economy in Port-au-Prince, with damages totaling 120 percent of the country’s GDP.

“[It was] not only our hope, but almost our certainty, that things would be done differently [in Haiti] and within the next 20 years, Haiti would be an emerging economy,” Comeau said. “It’s certainly not the path we took. There’s no way Haiti will become an emerging economy by 2030.”

“This is worse than the earthquake”

Melinda Stephanie Dominique, a medical student at Quisqueya University, spent the fall semester waiting to find out when it would be safe enough for her to return to school. Instead of studying for exams and walking the halls of her campus with her classmates, she was home weighing the risks she would face if she did decide to venture out.

“We watch the news, we see the videos,” said Dominique, who has three years left in her program. “We’re not going out just like that. Especially when you can hear the bullets yourself. There’s no way to know whether you’ll be able to make it back home.”

While some schools sent notice and formally closed their doors at the height of the protests, others simply shuttered their doors because students stopped coming in. In Dominique’s case, Quisqueya University opted to suspend classes until the protests subsided.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in this country,” Dominique said.

The political and social turmoil in the country is exacerbated by a feeling of hopelessness that has taken hold in the country, in large part due to the disappointment surrounding earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts.

For the first time in decades Haiti had the world’s attention. However the overwhelming consensus is that the Haitian government and members of the CORE Group — composed of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the Ambassadors of Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the European Union, the United States of America, and the Special Representative of the Organization of American States — squandered what little chance Haiti had to emerge as a growing and stable economy.

Comeau says the last decade is one of “missed opportunities, endemic corruption sustained by an equally endemic impunity.”

“You have a situation where public officials in charge of budget in some administrations pilfer the country’s money, and there’s no accountability,” he said. “There’s this mentality that people can do whatever they want, including mismanaging and essentially embezzling public funds. You see all of this culminates in the PetroCaribe scandal.”

In 2005 Venezuela launched the PetroCaribe program that allowed Caribbean countries to buy oil at market value, with only a portion of the payment made upfront, while the remainder of the balance could be paid through a 25-year financing agreement with a 1 percent interest rate. The aim of the program was to spur development and fund social programs in recipient countries. In Haiti, however, nearly $3 billion of the PetroCaribe funds went missing, with Haitians having little to show for the billions of dollars that were poured into the country.

“There’s nothing that can be shown for that $3 billion,” Comeau said. “This is what I’m talking about when I say missed opportunities. Here you have this money from 2008 – 2017 that was available to do something great. We could have built a major hospital in every major region in the country. We could have built universities in every department. We could have improved our infrastructure and modernized, which would have attracted foreign investors. We missed all of this.”

Since the earthquake, more than $7 billion in foreign aid has been disbursed to Haiti, according to research from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Haitian organizations and firms, however, received just over 2 percent of the funds that had been allocated to the country.

Criticisms and accusations of fraud, mismanagement and misappropriation of funds plagued relief efforts for years, spurring accountability campaigns demanding answers to the whereabouts of billions of dollars that were meant for reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

Bill and Hillary Clinton were at the center of many scandals surrounding Haiti and the relief funds.

In the days following the earthquake, Bill was tapped as co-chair of the commission tasked with allocating relief funds, while Hillary oversaw more than $4 billion Congress earmarked recovery efforts. However, emails released through a Freedom of Information Act request, revealed officials from the Clinton Foundation — the couple’s personal philanthropic fund — were looking out for bids and proposals from the Clintons’ friends and associates. In the end, the foundation secured 34 projects in the country, including the $350 million Caracol Industrial Park project. The project led to the creation of 10,000 jobs in Haiti, instead of the 65,000 the Clintons promised.

“Billions of dollars were donated to Haiti after the earthquake and we have no idea what was done with that money,” Comeau said.

“In 10 years, nothing has changed,” Dominique said. “We didn’t move forward; we stayed static.”

For many, the current state of affairs in Haiti is worse than any damage the country suffered because of the earthquake. This was more devastating because of its “man-made” nature.

The chain of events to follow would set the stage for a Haiti that many are saying is at its lowest point ever. The Kot Kob Petrocaribe movement would highlight more than ever the endemic corruption in Haitian politics, and pave the way for the dismissal of prime ministers and eventual calls for the resignation of President Jovenel Moise. The movement, which started on Twitter, has since been co-opted and used by Haitian politicians and oligarchs to further their political interests by calling for the ouster of Moise.

Haiti’s already fragile tourism sector has been one of the biggest casualties of Haiti’s unrest. Following the earthquake, former President Michel Martelly made a big push for tourism in the country, with then-Minister of Tourism Stephanie Voulledrain leading an international branding tour, selling Haiti as an untapped tourism treasure trove.

Several fruitful projects began as part of the effective branding campaign. Airlines added flights to the country, new hotel brands were drawn to Port-au-Prince and more and more members of the Diaspora and their friends made their way to Haiti for vacation, conferences and more.

However, in a matter of months, years of work has been reversed. Best Western closed its doors. Delta ceased flights to Haiti, while other carriers significantly reduced their service to the country. Popular resorts and hotels like Decameron Indigo Beach Resort and Spa, and Karibe are virtually empty.

Searching for understanding

There are several theories as to why Haiti is in the state it is in, despite the billions of dollars in aid and donations the country received. Some point to neo-colonialism, imperialism and U.S. intervention, while others place blame on the Duvaliers, the corrupt Haitian government, or the lack of engagement among the Diaspora. The truth is, it’s a melange of it all, which is what makes imagining what comes next for Haiti so difficult.

“The Haitian-American convention did away with Haiti’s sovereignty and it’s a sovereignty that Haiti has never gotten back,” Alain Martin, director of The Forgotten Occupation, said. The documentary tells the story of the U.S. occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934 from the perspective of Haitian historians, authors, journalists and politicians. “To this day, nothing happens in Haiti without the say-so of the State Department.”

The Haitian-American Treaty of 1915 gave the U.S. control over Haitian finances, and the right to intervene in Haitian affairs whenever the U.S. government deemed necessary. That same year, the U.S. government placed Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave as president of Haiti, making him the first leader in the country under the U.S. occupation.

“He represents the father figure of the modern Haitian president. Ever since Dartiguenave, with maybe one or two exceptions, every president we’ve had, has been beholden to the State Department,” said Martin.

“You have to look at Haiti as a Shakespearean tragedy. Those of us who truly love Haiti and would like to see the country move forward, don’t have the physical resources to make that happen,” he said. “How can we fight against the State Department? We need allies that we simply don’t have. What the US wants to happen in Haiti is what’s going to happen.”

So what comes next for Haiti?

“The change will have to come from the U.S.,” Martin said. “We need to build a leftist movement in the U.S. that elects leaders that are going to have different policies toward Haiti. But it’s a long shot. Regardless if there were Democrats or Republicans in power in the U.S., their foreign policies toward Haiti have never changed.”

As for Moise, he at least has public support from the U.S., which is enough to keep him in power for now. Over the last three months, U.S. officials have made their way to Haiti or Haitian communities in the United States to “encourage dialogue” over the political impasse that has held the country in its grip for almost two years. Their efforts have been met with gratitude from some and with anger from others.

“There’s always a segment of Haitian society that is looking to the U.S. to be a sort of savior for the county,” Martin said. “They are incapable of seeing Haiti foster its own destiny and barely its own institutions to get the country going. It’s a subconscious collective insecurity that we do not have the capability of doing it on our own.”

In October 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson — who represents the largest Haitian constituency in the U.S. — participated in a roundtable discussion with members of South Florida’s Haitian community over the growing unrest in Haiti.

Ambassador Kelly Craft’s November 2019 meeting with Moise was met with anger and disapproval from Haitians over what they perceive to be U.S. interference and meddling. And just last month, Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale met with members of the opposition and various Haitian business leaders in a closed-door meeting where he pressed for a functioning government that can work together.

“Haitians in Haiti acknowledge now that the Diaspora is the backbone of Haiti,” Comeau said. “The Diaspora is the primary source of foreign funds in the country.” In 2019 the Diaspora sent $3.5 billion to Haiti. While remittances are primarily sent from those living in the United States and Canada, more money is starting to come from Chile and Brazil, where there are growing Haitian communities.

“The Haitian government needs to think more strategically in terms of Diaspora remittances,” he said. “Most of the money sent is spent on consumption. Haiti needs to tap more systematically into the resources of the Diaspora.

We need to have Haitians in the Diaspora invest in Haiti instead of sending money.”

One of the consistent U.S. voices when it comes to Haitian / U.S. affairs has been Marco Rubio, whose comments regarding Haiti have fluctuated from supporting the will of the people calling for Moise’s ouster, to urging calm and support for Moise.

While protests had subsided and a sense of normalcy seemed to return to Haiti as the 10th anniversary of the quake approached, what happens next is uncertain, and Haitians remain discouraged.

“The earthquake came and there were so many promises to build back better,” Martin said. “Yet the earthquake is forgotten, the people who died in the earthquake are forgotten and the promises made have been forgotten.”

#Haiti #Haiti Since the Earthquake: A Decade of Empty Promises #bill clinton #hillary clinton #clinton foundation

9 notes · View notes