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Little Haiti Business and Cultural District, Flatbush New York

Little Haiti Business and Cultural District, Flatbush New York

Little Haiti of New York, spanning a large portions of Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues, from Parkside Avenue to Avenue H in New York City has been officially designated. This section of Brooklyn where generations after generations of Haitians have landed has been finally designated. We can all say that there is now a Little Haiti In Flatbush and another one in Miami, Florida.

June, 2018: Haitian-Americans gathered in Flatbush street corner to celebrate the creation of "Little Haiti Business and Cultural District.". The area was previously designated "Little Caribbean"

As per news dated June 5, 2018, after years of meetings and planning, the New York City Council announced a ceremonial resolution to name a certain section of Flatbush "Little Haiti." Rodneyse Bichotte, State Senator Kevin Parker, and Councilmember Jumaane Williams, along with local organizations and community members are among the spearheads to designate a part of Flatbush as the Little Haiti Cultural & Business District.

However, according to Rodneyse Bichotte, who is the first Haitian-American to be elected to the State Legislature from New York City, although the Haitian community supports the designation of both 'Little Haiti' and 'Little Caribbean,' "the decision to name Flatbush Avenue 'Little Caribbean' was done without enough community support or involvement."

The proposal generated support mostly from Haitian communities like the Haitian American Caucus, Haitian American Business Network Chamber of Commerce and Haiti Cultural Exchange. Even the move of Bichotte and a host of other elected officials and activists to name "Little Haiti" has been met with criticism and termed as "misguided" and one of "division."

In an email to Bichotte, a host of some elected officials, including Council Member Mathieu Eugene and Rep. Yvette D. Clark, Ernest Skinner, a local community organizer and activist, have asked, "When did Haiti stop being part of the Caribbean? Sowing division may be why Haiti has never been able to reach its full potential."
The designation for "Little Caribbean" was initiated by Flatbush native Shelley Worrell, founder of CaribBEING, a local non-profit cultural institution founded in 1999. CaribBEING celebrates Caribbean heritage in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Flatbush, Brooklyn. She is a longtime supporter of the Little Caribbean and she is trying to preserve and celebrate Caribbean food, culture and small businesses in this area. Shelly bought a shipping container and turned it into a pop-up art space. She transformed every inch of her container with the feel of a breezy, beachside Caribbean aura.

In a statement Bichotte has said that Haiti has had a unique position within the Caribbean -- it is geographically in the Caribbean, but not of the Caribbean. History has created its distinct identity which is why Haitians have had to build separate communities and organizations in order to survive.

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Haitian Pastor arrested for his role in deadly fire in New York

Haitian Pastor arrested for his role in deadly fire in New York

Here is a picture of Luckner Lorient, a Haitian Pastor who was arrested in Miami for his role in a deadly fire in New York

Brooklyn pastor, once honored by N.Y. State Senate, arrested for role in deadly 2014 fire
Luckner Lorient (78), a longtime pastor at Eglise Baptist Clarte Celeste in Flatbush once honored by the New York State Senate and commended by the state senate for his ministry, was arrested at Miami International Airport on Tuesday (July 26, 2016) for his role in a 2014 (November 19, 2014) fire that killed one man and injured 14 others. He was arrested on charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Lorient owned a building at 1434 Flatbush Avenue, that housed his church on the ground floor and cramped apartments above which was basically a single resident occupancy apartment. Lorient, had illegally subdivided the floors into 11 multiple cramped, dangerous living spaces for 23 people, according to city records, but at that time Lorient argued his ignorance and blamed the tenants. The fire started with an overheated water cooler and the faulty electrical system, erupted into flames on the second floor. Tenants on the third floor were trapped. The fire killed resident Jeff Frederic, 24.

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NY Cop Arnous Morin, issued most traffic violation in 2015

NY Cop Arnous Morin, issued most traffic violation in 2015

Haitian-American Arnous Morin, New York top Cop issued most traffic violations.

Arnous Morin (53), a Haitian and New York City's top traffic agent has eclipsed his basic pay ($36,000) by over 33 times with the fines he has generated for the city coffers! During the 2015 fiscal year, he wrote 18,953 parking tickets at an astonishing rate- one in every 9 minutes, 45 seconds, amounting to $1.2 million. The most prolific parking N.Y cop says, I'm a traffic agent in my blood." He is courteous to motorists, but 'the law is hard, but it's the law'. In fact, more than half of his citations were made when the drivers did not move their vehicles during the street cleaning hours. Morin earned a civil-engineering degree in Port-Au-Prince. He used to teach mathematics and Spanish since he was only 19 years old and then became the principal of a Catholic school in Haiti. Scared by the aftermath of violent coup ousting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, he moved his wife and four kids to Brooklyn in 2005 and arrived there himself next year. Since he could not find a teaching job in the U.S., became a parking attendant instead. He is very hardworking, works 12 hours a day on occasion, sometimes six or seven days in a week.

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Pierry, Haitian immigrants from Queens in Republican Ad

Pierry, Haitian immigrants from Queens in Republican Ad

Here is a picture of Pierry, a Haitian immigrants from Queens in Republican Ad.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has decided to run a series of advertisement campaign to showcase how diversified group of Republicans actively support and belong to their party. They have released a series of five advertisements on air (at a cost of $300,000) during the Fox Business Republican Debate in South Carolina on Thursday, January 14, 2016. The ads feature Mario, a Latino, first-generation college graduate from Pueblo; Katherine, mother of an autistic child from Tampa, Florida; Vallerie, a community leader from Sarasota, Florida; Mike, a small business owner and 9/11 firefighter from the Bronx, New York; and Pierry, the son of Haitian immigrants from Queens. This is an effort of RNC to win back the White House after realizing how poorly they fared in the 2012 election with 6% of the African-American vote and 27% of the Hispanic vote. Recent comments by their candidate Donald Trump about immigrants has made the situation worse.

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Haitians living in New York City

Haitians living in New York City

The Haitian Diaspora in New York City

Government-backed, PHTK candidate, Jovenel Moise, is being paid out of the Haitian Treasury to travel to New York City (NYC) and Brooklyn. U.S. taxpayers are also paying his way. When Moise touched down at JFK Airport he was greeted by Haitian General Consul Representatives. But Haitian-Americans gave him the cold shoulder.

At Brooklyn's intimate meet-and-greets, Haitian-Americans protested his appearance, saying Moise was ". . . a thief and a fraud for participating in . . . an electoral coup d'etat." Back in Haiti many thousands of demonstrators rail nearly every day about what they perceive as fraudulent election results. Although a mere 6% of voters selected Moise, according to exit polls; the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) claimed he received 33% of the vote, placing him first. The 27% discrepancy is what has Haitians in an uproar. Their calm protestations turned violent when they came into contact with the opposition, who hurled rocks at them. One protestor was gunned down resulting in his death. Another was seriously wounded by a machete gash to his head.

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Brooklyn Democrat Samuel Pierre dropping out of election

Brooklyn Democrat Samuel Pierre dropping out of election

Here is a picture of Brooklyn Democrat Samuel Pierre who has made the decision to remove his candidacy for the November's special election,

Samuel Pierre, onetime Brooklyn Borough Director in the Community Affairs Unit, Office of the Mayor of New York City and more recently, a candidate in the November election for ex-state Sen. John Sampson Senate seat, has decided to withdraw himself from the upcoming election. Pierre was accused by the Kings County Democratic Party of a 2013 misdemeanor conviction for which he had pleaded guilty for accepting bribe over $50. In 2008, Pierre received two designer t-shirts and free dinners from a family friend, Kenol Janvier for helping him with his green card issues. Pierre, now 30, says that although he was too young then (22), but he never asked anything in exchange of his service. Had it been now, in 2015, his approach would be totally different.

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Les Couleurs Charity creative arts

Les Couleurs Charity creative arts

New York non-profit Les Couleurs Charity began a creative arts education program for severely traumatized children in Port-au-Prince this September. Founders Aura Copeland and Raminta Lilaite visited orphanages in the capital area after the earthquake, seeing a need to be filled for deprived children, who lack access to arts programs.

Les Couleurs will roll out the program to orphanages throughout Haitian communities, as well as set up an Art & Creativity Center for Port-au-Prince youth.

New York City - 917-721-1977

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Flatbush’s Ultimate Bakery - Haitian baked goods

Flatbush’s Ultimate Bakery - Haitian baked goods

Flatbush's Ultimate Bakery Sells Rare and Spicy Mamba

Flatbush's Ultimate Bakery, located at 1248 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, offers the usual Haitian bakery items: light and fluffy white breads, cookies, pastries, and cakes. But it also sells a more hard-to-find item, mamba, Creole for peanut butter.

Homemade on the premises, mamba has an extra ingredient added to it, chile. Mamba lovers say the kick the chile adds to the sweet and salty flavors is a sneak attack on the taste buds, not to be missed.

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La Baguette Shop in New York

La Baguette Shop in New York

Family Recipes make La Baguette a Traditional Favorite

La Baguette, an American-Caribbean bakery, is a family-owned and -run full-service bakery and lunch spot. Established more than 20 years ago, many of their breads and pastries are made from generation-old family recipes.

A run-down of offerings include their famous patties (chicken, beef, and cod fish,); croissants, fresh wheat hero and wheat Creole breads; carrot, pound, and butter cream cakes; turnovers, cookies, soups (split pea, minestrone, lentil spinach, chicken), and wheat and oatmeal porridges.
Stop by to experience their attentive service and Haitian hospitality.

La Baguette Shop
191-09 Jamaica Ave
Jamaica, NY 11423
Tel: 718-468-2525

La Baguette Shop
7915 Flatlands Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11236
Tel: (718)676-1790

La Baguette Shop
229-24 Linden Blvd
Cambria Heights, NY 11411
Tel: 718-977-1169

La Baguette Shop
2705 Church Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Tel: 718-282-4221

La Baguette Shop
1836 Rockaway Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11236
Tel: 718-758-4330

La Baguette Shop
1028 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Tel: 718-363-0944

La Baguette Shop
191-09 Jamaica Ave
Jamaica, NY 11423
Tel: 718-468-2525
 
La Baguette Shop
2705 Church Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Tel: 718-282-4221
 
La Baguette Shop
1836 Rockaway Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11236
Tel: 718-758-4330
 
La Baguette Shop1028 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Tel: 718-363-0944
 
Grand Opening!
La Baguette Shop
1855 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Tel: 347-955-5559

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Le Bon Pain Bakery in Queens Village

Le Bon Pain Bakery in Queens Village

Le Bon Pain's Savory Light Fare is located in Queens Village, features light fare, appetizers and desserts, perfect for office parties and art gallery receptions.

A small-scale catering service, Le Bon Pain features their house specialty, beef patties that are encased within a flaky biscuit. Order a dozen and you'll pay only $6.

Other items include seafood and chicken pies. For sweets, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a popular choice. And at a cost of $5 you can feed 10 people.

211-65 Jamaica Ave -
Queens Village, New York 11428
(718) 464-8160

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