Many urban popular organizations, which have traditionally supported Jean Bertrand Aristide’s government, have passed from quiet grumbling to loudly voicing their disapproval of the ruling Lavalas Family (FL) party’s course.

In the southeastern city of Jacmel, for example, the Coalition of Principled Organized Haitians (KAKO) broke its long silence with a press conference on Sep. 11, the anniversary of a 1988 massacre at Aristide’s former church, St. Jean Bosco, and the 1993 assassination of pro-democracy activist Antoine Izméry.

KAKO’s Daly Auguste said that the organization would no longer sit down with any of the FL parliamentarians from the region, whom he accused of "using the population to get power" and then "betraying the demands of the popular masses." He called on them to all resign so that a "new wind of hope" could blow.

In the southern city of Cayes, Lucien Orgella heads another popular organization calling on Aristide to return to "the people’s plan."

"Down with the senators, we want to take back Aristide," he said. "Down with the deputies, we want to recover Aristide from the international community."

Meanwhile, in St. Marc, the formerly pro-FL popular organization Balewouze (Clean Sweep), which has repeatedly clashed with partisans of the Democratic Convergence opposition front, also criticized FL parliamentarians and adopted the slogan "Aristide must return to his base."

Generally, disillusioned popular organizations place the blame for the government’s "betrayal" of their demands on Aristide’s entourage and appointees, rather than on the president himself. "For a president who has overseen the sale of Haitian territory to build free trade zones and the repression of peasants, who has defended the interests of Washington and the bourgeoisie, do they really think Aristide is going to return to his base?" a Haïti Progrès columnist asked. "That would be a miracle!"

Students Occupy State University Rectorate

On Tuesday, Sep. 17 at about 1 p.m., a group of students close to the Resistance Front at the State University of Haiti occupied the rectorate of Haiti’s State University. They are demanding that Charles Tardieu -- the president of the provisional council named by Education Minister Myrtho Celestin -- vacate his post. The students also said that the action was part of a larger mobilization to protest the "de facto" council Celestin set in place. They have denounced Tardieu and other members of the provisional council.

Police dispatched to the scene had not penetrated the rectorate’s yard, at press time.

For several days, members of the Resistance Front have announced that they would hold a demonstration on Sep. 19. On Aug. 22, students and sympathizers of the Resistance Front tried to hold a protest march against the Education Minister’s intrusion into sovereign university affairs, but were prevented from doing so by an aggressive pro-government counter-demonstration.

Jacmel Mayor Asks for Help

When indigents die in Jacmel, they are stuffed into a garbage collection box, thrown in a hole in the ground, and covered with dirt.

To provide more dignity and ceremony to the passing away of paupers, Jacmel city authorities began constructing a municipal funeral chapel several months ago. But lack of money has slowed the project to a crawl, Jacmel mayor Hugues Paul said this week. To finish the job, Paul has put out a call to Jacmelians, both in the city and living around the world, to send contributions for the project to his city hall.

Despite the obstacles, Paul said he is optimistic that the city will be able to finish and inaugurate the chapel by November.

Garbage Law Imminent

For Port-au-Prince residents in recent years, garbage collection has become the barometer of how well things are going in the country as a whole. Recently, in the streets of the capital, garbage has been piling up sky high.

Perhaps this perception moved Environmental Minister Webster Pierre to issue a Sep. 12 communiqué fixing Sep. 23 as the last day that people can dump their garbage in the street. For the first week, until Sep. 30, the police will give warnings. "Then, in the first phase, violators will have to pay a fine of at least 100 gourdes [about $3.75]," Pierre said. "Another phase we are considering is tougher, because the penalty will be at least two months in prison."

Despite the tough talk, Pierre has generally missed his own deadlines. On Aug. 24, he gave himself until Sep. 9 to clean up all the garbage clogging Port-au-Princes streets and drainage canals.

"There is still lots of garbage in the canal," said Jean Joseph, who lives alongside the large Bwadchenn drainage trench. "When the water comes, it has nowhere to go. The canal is clogged with plastic juice bottles, boxes, and car chassis. When it rains, the water takes all the garbage from the streets, and sends it into the canal, which sends it to the sea, but then the sea sends the garbage back."

As for Minister Pierre’s clean-up, Joseph doesn’t hold out much hope. "At nights sometimes you hear the garbage trucks," he said, "but when you get up the next morning, the garbage is still there."