3,500 Haitians lost their land to a US-funded $300 million garment factory project

JUNE 16, 2022

THE BIG STORY

Haitian youth are delaying their dreams after a US-funded project evicted them from their land

Duone flags down the yellow bus that takes her to work at the Caracol Industrial Park Jess DiPierro Obert for BuzzFeed News

Intended to help rebuild Haiti after a devastating 2010 earthquake, the Caracol Industrial Park launched in 2012 and promised a bright future for Haitians. Funded by the US government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the $300 million, 600-acre park would host garment factories producing clothes that end up at Target, Old Navy, Nike, Victoria's Secret, and Walmart, among others.

To make room for the park, authorities seized land from around 400 farming families — a total of around 3,500 people who relied on the plots for food and income — and promised to compensate them with new land elsewhere, 65,000 local jobs, and scholarships for their children.

But a 2018 agreement between the families and the IDB has only partly been implemented, and more than 80% of the families eligible to receive land are still waiting while struggling to put food on the table. "Maybe they're waiting for people to die so they don't have to give them land," said one Caracol farmer, Remy Augustin.

Workers manufacture clothing in the S&H Global factory in Caracol Industrial Park Jess DiPierro Obert for BuzzFeed News

"We had dreams but nothing happened in our lives," said Duone, whose family lost their farmland and couldn't afford to send her to college as a result. After finishing high school, Duone deferred her dream of becoming a nurse and currently works for a textile factory inside the park. "I don't dream about it anymore."

And now, the Caracol Industrial Park is set to grow: In November, the IDB announced that it had approved $65 million to expand infrastructure in hopes of attracting more companies.

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Will Ukraine join the EU?

On Friday, the European Commission is set to recommend Ukraine join the European Union. However, it's unclear if the country will gain approval from all 27 EU states, Politico reports.
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Romania met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and witnessed the devastating effects of war firsthand, AP reports. "Massacres were carried out." French President Emmanuel Macron said. "We have the first traces of what are war crimes."

SNAPSHOTS

The police officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head has been fired. Christopher Schurr's termination comes days after local prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder.

The Buffalo shooting suspect allegedly counted the number of Black people in the Tops supermarket days before the attack. Federal prosecutors say that the suspect's motive "was to prevent Black people from replacing white people and eliminating the white race, and to inspire others to commit similar attacks." He's charged with 13 counts of federal hate crimes.

Fires targeting Baltimore homes with Pride decorations that injured three people could be hate crimes, authorities said. There has been an increased spotlight on attacks targeting the LGBTQ community in recent months amid a surge in toxic rhetoric from the far right, which has included comparing the LGBTQ community to people who sexually abuse children.

INVESTIGATING THE INSURRECTION

The Jan. 6 committee wants to know why these tourists were taking photos of security checkpoints before the Capitol riot

A screenshot of video footage released by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack shows an individual taking photos of a staircase at the Capitol complex as Rep. Barry Loudermilk talks with others in the background. Jan. 6 Committee / Via Twitter: @January6thCmte

Video surveillance footage released on Wednesday by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection showed people in a Republican-led tour group taking photos of staircases, hallways, and tunnel entrances at the Capitol complex the day before the attack.

The footage has sparked concerns among members of Congress, especially in light of previous allegations by Democrats that Republicans led "reconnaissance tours" of the Capitol grounds before the attack. According to the committee, one of the individuals on the tour went on to make threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats in a video he recorded while marching to the Capitol on the day of the riot.

"We're coming in like white on rice for Pelosi, Nadler, Schumer — even you, AOC. We're coming to take you out," the unidentified man says in the video.

According to House Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, the committee's review of the footage was "consistent" with reports that "some individuals and groups engaged in efforts to gather information about the layout of the U.S. Capitol, as well as the House and Senate office buildings" ahead of the attack. However, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who led the group through House office buildings on Jan. 5, 2021, told BuzzFeed News that, to his knowledge, no one in his tour group has been criminally charged in connection to the attack.

THIGH GUY SUMMER

Let hoochie daddy season commence!

Urban Outfitters (2); Nike

Fold up your billowing cargo pants, because the delightful short shorts of 1970s basketball are back — this time with an equally delightful name.

Hoochie daddy shorts are any short shorts that show off more leg than other types traditionally marketed to men. "Me personally, I like 3 inches above the knee," said Angel Landry, the 33-year-old insurance agent whose viral TikTok introduced many to this hot summer trend. But the only real requirement, Landry explains, is to show some thigh.

"If you just have them above the knee, you're just running errands or anything like that," Jasmine Clark, a marketing manager based in Atlanta, told BuzzFeed News. In a viral video, Clark jokingly encouraged women to catcall men they see in hoochie daddy shorts, in a lighthearted effort to turn the tables after so many years of women being objectified.

"But if you have just a little bit of that thigh meat showing, you being a hoochie and you being fast and I'm gonna snatch you up. I just want you to know, I'm willing to take you to brunch."

There's no deadline for figuring out what you want,

Alexa

📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.

👉 Your support of BuzzFeed's journalism does not constitute a charitable donation, and your contribution is not eligible for a tax-deduction. This is part of an effort to explore a deeper relationship with our most active supporters.

🔔 Want to be notified as soon as news breaks? Download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS and Android (available in Canadian, UK, Australian, and US app stores).

💌 Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to get BuzzFeed News in your inbox!