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Toto, we're not in Haiti any more
By Emile Hallez
ehallez@mscd.edu

Emmanuel Constant is a man with a multifaceted existence. Having resided in New York since 1994, his imposing frame has been spotted socializing in a variety of hip locales. He could probably direct you to the best coffee houses and nightclubs. As a real estate agent, he can help you buy or sell your next home, if you’re fortunate enough to live in Queens. And if you can get on his good side, he might even tell you how to found a paramilitary squad responsible for the murder, rape and torture of thousands, and get off scot-free.

For those unfamiliar with Constant, who affectionately goes by Toto, his infamy dates to the early ’90s. When former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was temporarily overthrown in 1991, Constant formed the Front for the Advancement of Progress of Haiti (FRAPH). Until the United States helped restore Aristide to power, FRAPH sought to quell the ousted president’s supporters through criminal acts of violence. In 1994, when Aristide regained the presidency, Constant fled to the United States on a tourist visa.

For roughly a year, Constant was detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. But in 1996, shortly after he threatened to expose information about his ties to the CIA during an interview on 60 Minutes, he was released.

Until recently, he has been living relatively carefree in Queens. Despite outcry from the nearby Haitian community, which manifests commonly as organized protests outside Constant’s home, he has yet to be brought to justice. Human rights groups have fought for his extradition to Haiti, where in 2000, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in a massacre.

Early in July, Constant was arrested on charges including grand larceny. He is suspected to have used mortgage fraud to take over $1 million from SunTrust Bank. His bail is set at $50,000.

My question: Why did it take allegations of fraud to get a man who has been convicted of far more heinous crimes arrested?

By refusing to extradite Constant, the United States government is showing its indifference to human rights violations and hypocrisy in its stance on terrorism. How different would his situation be, had his victims resided in the land of the free?

It is curious we should sustain such extensive fatalities and fiscal depletion trying to bring the likes of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden to justice, when all the while we’ve had a textbook-definition terrorist living comfortably in our backyard. Furthermore, the FBI now considers “eco-terrorist” organizations such as the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front, two groups whose stigma is not violence but property damage, as the top domestic terror threats.

What constitutes terrorism, according to the actions of our government? Webster’s defines terrorism as “the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.” With respect to this definition, the United States seems to be confused. If we examine the victims that have led us either to action or indifference, it appears as though American lives and property are worth their weight in gold, Iraqi lives are worth their weight in oil, and Haitian lives are worth their weight in sand.

While we are certainly justified in pursuing those who truly threaten our safety, it hardly seems such hunts are humanitarian in nature. Unless the United States begins to show it values international human rights, it’s hard for me to believe the War on Terror is anything but political. The next time you hear a U.S. official toss around their favorite buzzword, try to picture Toto Constant resting comfortably in his large white house in New York.