Inside Haiti's Gang Neighborhoods (interrogated by military)

Soldiers run out with AK-47, tell us to get out of the car now. And they just came out and point guns at us and they said they're gonna arrest you. These are some of the roughest streets I've ever seen. What is this place? This area here have been claimed by gang members. We just stopped at a petrol station. It's absolute mayhem. I'm trying to see where he's putting the gas. I can't even see it. Oh, ****. This is like an accident waiting to happen. Police are over here with massive machine guns. The police, what they did, they bought all the gallons, but they filled their own gallons and left. So the police come and sabotage other people getting petrol, but they take it to themselves. Exactly. All these books and the posters are all publications that you've been featured in. Uh-huh. Everywhere I am. There's a guy walking down the street with no pants, no underwear, and just a shirt. Kids, students, and then still go to the school. And then after that, someone is coming with a shotgun, give it to kids. Really? It's very dangerous. This area is already claimed by a gang member. We are right in it. A woman that you knew warned you and said, just be careful because there's a lot of kidnapping around here. Yeah, it's like a tank bulldozer, right? Yep. That will demolish your house. Where do those people find the money in a poor country like that to build those massive houses? And where would you say that they find the money? Corruptions and drugs. This is actually the war zone area. So we're in a war zone right now? Yeah, we're in a war zone. Everyone that is working in this area, they're going to quickly pass. They're shooting from up down there to up there. Because that is going through that way as well, you can get shot. So we're not going forward? We are. Haiti, the poorest country in all of the Americas. A country that has faced constant struggle from earthquakes. 7.3 magnitude earthquake. 220,000 people killed. To gang wars. Gang war rages on in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Kidnappings and killings getting even worse throughout the country. Armed violence has reached unimaginable and intolerable levels. Countless kidnappings. The country's most powerful gangs is believed to be behind the kidnapping of 17 missionaries. This has become daily life. Tires burning on city streets. Protesters furious at the government's inability to confront kidnappers. Corruption. And untold poverty. These are amongst the poorest people in the world. With an average salary of less than $3.50 a day, the situation has become so desperate that there is currently a mass exodus from the country. 200 migrants stopped at sea. Deep in the jungle in Panama, parents clinging to their children, bracing for the hundreds of miles ahead. More than a dozen Haitians have died. Millions of people fleeing, risking their lives for the chance of a better one. So, what is this notoriously dangerous country like on the ground? Well, I guess we'll just have to jump on a plane if we want the answer to that one. What is this place? This is actually a war zone. Guys with guns everywhere. These are some of the roughest streets I've ever seen. And they said they're going to arrest you. Well, I guess I'm going to a Haitian prison right now. This country is so extreme. The furthest I've ever been pushed on any of my trips. So, basically, now we have to just get out of here because we don't want to be caught in crossfire. The bus will protect from stray bullets. Is that right? Yeah. We saw a kidnapping. So, we have to wait behind this wall until the police are here. Welcome back to Port-au-Prince, capital city of Haiti here behind me. A beautiful, beautiful city geographically. But underneath that, very dark things happen here. If you saw the last video, you would have seen that on the way back from what's known as Cite du Soleil, Sun City, which is rated as the most dangerous place in the world. I witnessed something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime. We did witness a kidnapping. Today, we're going into another part of the city. We're going to see the downtown area, which I've been told by my guy on the ground here that it's like a war zone, basically. Many people have fled from that region because of gang rival fighting. We're going to go in there today and see what it's like. We could get caught up in some fire and things, but, you know, we're going to go with our heads down. The guy I'm with, Sean, he really knows what he's doing in this city. Let's go for another day in Haiti here. It never ceases to amaze this place. Okay, so Sean's just picked me up. We're heading downtown, but he was a bit delayed because this morning a bunch of motorbike taxi guys went around in protest of the fuel situation here. So, basically, fuel is instantly sold to the black market and doesn't go to the petrol station, so people are struggling to get fuel. So, what these taxi motorbike drivers were doing, they were going around and people that are selling the petrol on the side of the road, they were going around and stabbing it with knives so it leaks out in protest of saying, stop selling petrol in the black market and sell it in the petrol stations at a reasonable price. Pretty crazy, eh, Sean? Oh, it is. That's basically what's happening. And I like the movement, what they do in the protest station because what happened, they will sell the gas at the gas stations. Those gas stations will sell it to those guys and then they will sell it on the streets for three times the amount, the actual price. So, those motorcycles decided to go around and just start stabbing those gallons that they find on the streets, anywhere that they can find them, even if they are behind a big pickup truck, they will stab it. We just stopped at a petrol station, it's absolute mayhem, have a look. Insane, people are fighting, shouting at each other. People are just shouting at each other, it's chaos here. People throwing around big containers trying to get petrol. These are all the motorbike taxi guys we were just talking about. Yes, that is them. But still, some of them still have gallons in the back. Okay. So, the containers on the back, they're trying to come fill up. Yeah. Wow. This morning, Sean lives close to my home, 40 minutes to get there. The gas station is only providing in the gallon. They are not giving the motorcycles actually. So, they won't put it in their motorbike directly, only in the containers. Okay. This is what we call the black market, that's how it's actually working. They're throwing containers, look, there's petrol flying around. This is nuts. Okay, what's happening? They've got the petrol pump dangling down and people are fighting to grab the petrol pump. How do they pay for this? Is this free? No, it's not free at all, they have to pay for it. They're paying because it's absolute chaos here. And he's just getting money. Yeah, he's the one getting money. I'm trying to see where he's putting the gas, I can't even see it. Oh, ****. There's a full fight happening here. This is like an accident waiting to happen, right? Excuse me? It's an accident waiting to happen. There's petrol going everywhere. Ariel, you're a young man, why are you blocking the gas? You have a message for Ariel? Yes, I have a message for Ariel. Why are you blocking the gas? It's the gas that's killing us because the school is open. What are we going to do? We have a problem, we have a problem. Why are you letting the state pay for this? So that he can find money, that he can continue supporting his family. I asked him, well, you guys are starting a prostitution. Where are you starting all the gallons? But you still have your gallons as a motorcycle guy. Right. He said, well, that's the only way I can find the gas. Right, so he doesn't like how it is, but he has to do it. Yeah, exactly. Okay, let's see. All right, all right, all right. The guy taking the money just has a massive bag on the front full of cash and change. And he's in charge of taking and receiving the money and giving change. I do not envy that guy's job. He's just getting shout out, grabbed. The police are over here with massive machine guns. So what are the police doing here? They're getting, they themselves are even getting all the gallons as well. So the police are buying petrol? They're all buying petrol and gallons just like everyone is doing. If you can look at that, it's like everyone is by gallons getting all the water. Look at that. You see that? This is the police. They have access because they are the police. Yeah. So the police get to go to the front of the line? Exactly. Okay. And then now they left. It's going to be a chaos because there is no police officers around. So the police don't even want to be any part of this. They go and get out of it. They just left. Okay. This is the total corruption that is happening in this country. It's messed up. He said the country is not functioning. And that all those authorities that are in power right now need to leave the country and leave power. Because their life is becoming too expensive. And he wants them to leave. Because the prime minister has been in power for about a year. And then nothing is functioning in this country. That's what he's saying. So they've just shut off the petrol now? They've just shut off the petrol. Once the police left. The police didn't do that. He said the police were there. They bought all the gallons. But they filled their own gallons and left. So the police come and sabotage other people getting petrol, but they take it for themselves. Exactly. Everybody's leaving now. Because they've shut off the pumps. The police show up apparently, what we've been told. The police stab the other guys' petrol and they take the petrol for themselves. And then the pumps are shut down. Cannot believe it. Because the police are supposed to be here to protect and help people, right? Exactly. They should be here to protect and give security to the gas station people. But they're not doing it. They took their own gas and then left. And then there's just this chaos and like there could be a huge riot right now. Exactly. And there's nobody here to like help or anything. There's no police officer. There's a guy standing over there with a shotgun and he's just kind of watching from above. This guy is a security guard for the gas station. What's the guy saying? He said he can't do anything really. They're revving their engine. Isn't this going to blow up or something? No, it isn't. It's insane. They're revving their exhaust next to all this petrol that's been spilled. Anything can happen at any time on this gas station right now. We should probably leave. So people just kept coming up to me and wanting to shout at the camera and get to tell basically how much of a state the country is in. Where are we heading now, Sean? We are going downtown area around Bele, another slum area. We'll see if we can get through. There's a full-blown war going on there and it's been going on for a month and so they're not picking up their phone, right? Yes. Okay. Yeah, that's what's happening. So I will go down there. I know where to find them and we'll see what we can find. Hey, Sean. So these are some of the roughest streets I've ever seen. What is this place? This area here have been claimed by gang members. This is actually a war zone. And up there, we're going to take a quick look. Man, this feels really bad here, man. Oh yeah, this is the cathedral which was damaged by the earthquake in 2010. In this area right here, this is actually the war zone area here. So we're in a war zone right now? Yeah, we're in a war zone. See, there is no one. This street right here, this long street right now, you have a group down there that's called G9 that's controlling the area and then up there is JPEB. So as you can see, everyone that is working in this area, they're going to quickly pass. Like, look at him. He's going to quickly try to pass. He's looking down, see? Look at that. He's looking up and looking down and trying to get away as fast as possible that he can go. Because they're shooting. They're shooting from up down there to up there. Right. So any person that is going that they take as a threat, they will shoot at you. So we'll be. Any car that is going through that way as well can get shot. So we're not going forward? We are. No, no. You're joking, right? Yeah. We are. Are you serious? Uh-huh. We're in. Oh. In there as well. That's another part. And you're not worried here? Back up. Let's go. But you have contacts in this neighborhood? Yes. I try to call them. They've been in war for the last, this month. Right. And now, I can't even reach them on the phone. Yeah. I have to drive quickly across that road that we didn't get shot at. Man, this is a lot. That's crazy. I recently saw a clip right at this park here where there was a shooting and people were just running everywhere. Rare footage now showing the moment crowds run for cover, fleeing as heavy gunfire rings out near a park. Suspected rival gang members setting a cathedral on fire as they fight to take control of more territory. This is our Supreme Court right here. Supreme Court. Yeah. The Supreme Court is right in the middle of this battle zone here. And this whole area, they're going to build what you call administrative city. So, most of the government buildings will be building here. They started here already. The palace used to be right up front but it was damaged by the earthquake in 2010. They haven't rebuilt it yet. This tower is called Tower of 2004 which was built to commemorate 200 years of freedom from the French. What is that massive bulldozer there? This here is Haitian army. That's an armored bulldozer. Yeah. It's like a tank bulldozer, right? Yeah. That will demolish your house. I think they made that themselves. This is local. Yeah. I can see that that's a homemade job, yeah. Something insane just happened. We're filming that big like tank bulldozer thing. Soldiers run out with AK-47. Tell us to get out of the car now. We have to jump out of the car. They start questioning us like quite aggressively. They're like, who is this guy? You know, to Sean. And Sean's like, well, he's a journalist. And they were like, well, where's his passport and things? Where's his stuff? Give me his credentials. I was saying, you know, I don't carry that around because if my bag gets stolen, you know, like look where we are. You know, who knows what could happen? My bag could get stolen. Maybe I lose my camera gear but I don't want my documentation and my passport to be stolen, right? So, he's like, no, if he doesn't have his passport, we're going to arrest him. And they were like, he's arrested, he's illegal. And he was fully convinced. And in my mind, I was like, well, I guess I'm going to a Haitian prison right now. You know, I just kind of like made peace with the fact. Of course, you know, I was full of adrenaline. So, Sean, what exactly just happened? Oh, you almost got arrested. That's what happened. So, we actually went to the army base around the base. So, we were filming. What do you call what they had? A big tank? Bulldozer. A bulldozer, a big tank. And we were just filming it. And they just came out and point guns at us. And it's like, stop the car. So, I had to raise my hands. To show that you don't have any weapons. That I don't have a weapon. Just calm them down. And then they decide to search in the car if there was any guns or any ammunitions and stuff. And I represent myself as a journalist. So, they saw my card. And then they were like, okay. Give me the car paper and registration and your license. Give it to them. Everything was okay. And then they asked you for your papers. And then you didn't have it. And then they said you have them in your phone. But which was not accepted. And they said they're going to arrest you. Everything that they find said I'm going to arrest them. I said, no, you can't arrest them. I'm going to Sitesole, I'm going to Bele. What if they take their passport, his passport. And took all his belongings. He's going to travel back to the UK again. And then they said, okay. All right, we'll let him go. Because it was like, he looked fully convinced there's no way I was leaving there, right? No, no, no. You were not going to leave. So, I had to convince him in some kind of way. And that was right next to that big tank bulldozer thing. There's the military there. That's the central government district right there. And just behind it was that street that we had to drive through to not get shot at really quickly. And that's right next to where that's happening. This country is beyond any kind of comprehension, you know. Many scenes on the news show people burning tires and throwing them in the middle of the street in protest. Is this the area where that happens? They do not protest in this area. They will do the protestation up where the government buildings are located. So, where I almost got arrested. Yeah, exactly. Even though there is gang activities in this area. There won't be no gun battle around this area. This here is where I come and fix my car. And also many of the gang members used to be mechanics, you know. And they used to work here, you know, making a living. And then afterward integrating the gang activity, you know. And they protect this area. Okay. Yeah. I know that for sure because this is where I come all the time to come and fix my car. So, this is right in the middle, so... This is right in the middle of the city. This is what you call Grand Rue. Okay. Yeah. The Avenue. Yeah, the Avenue, yeah. Right. Kind of what I've noticed with the other neighborhoods as well, the gang neighborhoods is that if you're right in the middle, it's a lot more stable. But it's when you get to the outskirts is where the disputed territory is, right? Yeah, exactly. See, this area is already claimed by a gang member. So, it stays safe. We are right in it. But on the periphery, on the outskirts... That's where most of the danger is. Because anyone that is coming, they take you as a threat. To get in and out of this so-called safe place, you have to drive through those places. Yes, exactly. Nick almost got arrested. Let's go check it really fast. Okay, what is it? All the waste, all the tires that they will find on the streets, the piece of metal that they will find, and they create art with it. It's mostly the ghetto boys to prevent them from staying in the streets and become a gang member. And this is one of my friends, Andre Jean, this is what he's creating for the young boys rising in the ghetto. To stop them getting into crime. Exactly. Just hopped out of the car and there's a guy walking down the street with no pants, no underwear, and just a shirt. Hey! Make it a quick visit then, right? A quick visit, and then we leave. Okay. Bonjour. Is this your friend here? Yeah. That's my friend, yeah. Okay, so we've come into this beautiful workshop you have here, and your name is Andre Eugene, right? Andre Eugene, yes. And so can you just explain a bit about what you do in the community? Because I've heard it's quite positive, right? Yes, kids, students, and then still go to the school, and then after that someone is coming with a shotgun and give it to the kids. Really? It's very dangerous, like a gangster. And I'm teaching the kids for free. Okay, this is from car tires. Okay, so you've traveled the world, right? Of course. Last year. You were last year in Australia. This year, I was in Kassel. In Germany. You're obviously an educated man, and you've traveled the world and things. So, how would you describe the current state of Haiti? Good energy, positive energy. Also, you can find some bad things also. All over the world, it's the same thing. It's the same thing everywhere, in New York, whatever. So, you look at the positives of the country? Of course. Yeah. So, you're happy in Haiti? Not so far, not so good. Here is a statue of Osama Bin Laden here, and there's just so many statues here, all recycled material. 30 years of work, he's been doing this, and there's a skull out there, and it's a human skull, and you've seen the big piles of rubbish. A lot of those actually have human bodies in them, because of the fighting and the gang war. He goes through, looks through the trash, he'll find dead bodies, use the skulls from them. A lot of these pieces are related to voodoo. So, you know, one of the main religions here in Haiti. Super intense, but, you know, incredible to see such a display of years of hard work. What do you do after the movie? Yeah, freelance. Yeah, I make little videos, and I put them on the internet, and then, you know, people look at them and see what's going on in these countries, you know? Because something like Haiti has such a crazy reputation, right? And so, it's interesting, I think, for behind the headlines, you know? The best way you can see something. Yeah, like on the ground, like meeting people like you. All these books and the posters are all publications that you've been featured in. Everywhere I am. That's you. And what year was that photo taken? Like 2012. You see the freezer. What's been your favorite country that you've visited? Too much one. Right. Because I'm taking... You know Liverpool? Yeah. That's my favorite one. Also Scotland. Okay, you liked Liverpool and Scotland. When we were entering into that voodoo museum there, a woman that you knew warned you and said, just be careful because there's a lot of kidnapping around here. Yes, right around that area. She said just yesterday, they kidnapped a person there. Right where we were? In the car, yeah. And then, last night, they kidnapped another person as well. Station here with chaos going on. So, this neighborhood here, Sean, is a more expensive kind of area of the city for real estate? Yes. This is VVHL area. That's where you will find most of the most beautiful houses. It's mostly people with money, politicians, some drug dealers as well. We can't afford to say that. On the way here, there were some police officers doing some, you know, just random checks. And one of them saw me in the front, so they stopped the car. And the guy said directly to me in English, is everything okay, sir? Because I think he thought that Sean might have been kidnapping me, right? Yeah. He thought that you were kidnapped. He was looking at me and said, stop. And then, he didn't ask me any questions. And then, he went straight forward. He was like, are you okay, sir? And I was like, yes, he's okay. But this is like a gated community then, because there's two guys with shotguns. We just drove through the gate. These are massive walls. You can't even see the house. This is because it's so private, right? You won't hear any crime or any gang activities around this area. It is well protected. These houses will have amazing views, right? See the caravan out there. And where do those people find the money in a poor country like that to build those massive houses? And where would you say that they find the money? Corruptions and drugs. That's exactly what it is. Even the roads here are so much better than the rest of the city, you know? There's no trash. Oh, no. You won't find no trash around this area. I mean, this is a rich area. There's real estate there. So, the government put in the infrastructure. They clean up the trash and they fix the roads in this neighborhood, but the rest, many other parts of the city... It's something we have to understand. Those people who own those houses are government officials and drug dealers. So, they make sure that the area where they are living are quite clean. While the rest of the country is full with rubbish, piles of rubbish everywhere. It's crazy. There is no words to describe what I'm seeing. We just came up to this beautiful hotel here. You know, we're going to have a look over the view that it has. But it's boarded up, it's closed. And you say, Sean, that's because... They have no clients because the tourists are no longer coming. Because they're too scared. And they're too scared because of the insecurity of the rival gang fighting every day. So, that caused that tourist doesn't travel to Port-au-Prince. Where do you see Port-au-Prince and Haiti in the next five years? It will probably be worse if the government doesn't take that hand the responsibilities to put an end to that insecurity and food crisis in this country. I mean, if they don't do anything, the only hope that we have is the UN to come back. The way I'm seeing it, with the Haitian government, the country ain't going nowhere. The only support that we can get right now that maybe help Haiti to recover from all those problems another occupation, the UN, the international community. We can't depend on the government. They're too corrupt. They are involved in providing those gangs with guns. So, the government's giving guns to the gangs. Oh, yes. And that's well documented. I know that for sure. I remember doing research from back in 2006 and then I'm meeting with a lot of gang members and I've asked them, where do you find those guns? And they will tell me. You went to Cité Soleil, right? That's shabby town. The people don't even have water to drink. But they have those big AK-47, those big guns that they have. So, they can't afford food, but somehow they have these really expensive weapons. Expensive weapons. They don't buy it with their own money. Somehow, someone bring it to them. And who have access to bring guns in the country? Haiti doesn't manufacture guns, not even bullets. Yet, you see them more than you will find food in the hands of those poor people. Do you think what you're saying is the opinion of many Haitian people? Yes, and even we met with some gang members in Cité Soleil. They themselves think that would be the best solution right now. Yeah, it's the arrival of the UN back into the country. And if they don't come, what's going to happen? Well, the country is going down the pit. Down, it's already hell. It's already in the pit, right? Yeah. But it's going to keep going. It's going to keep going worse. Yeah, more kidnappings. Yes, there are so many kidnappings that are happening every day in everyday basis that we don't even know. Back at the hotel. These days in Haiti are so extreme. I'm just so fortunate to have Sean. I mean, I very, very nearly got arrested today. I could see in that guy's eyes, he had his mind made up. And he was not going to budge. He's like, we're arresting him. We're taking him away. You know, when somebody who's run out at your car, guns pointed, military uniform, next to a homemade bulldozer tank that they drive into the gang neighborhoods, comes out and points a gun at you and tells you you're getting arrested. I mean, you kind of take that for the truth. I kind of made peace with the fact I guess I'm going to some kind of jail or going to be detained in some way at the very least. But, you know, I'm just so lucky that Sean got me out of that situation. Obviously, you're only seeing, you know, Port-au-Prince and there are other parts of the country. In the next video, we're going to be going on a huge road trip to different areas of the country. Also going to the second biggest city called Cap-Haitien. The roads can be a bit sketchy. They're like dirt roads through the hills or something because the other road that you can take is... Of course, it's occupied by gangs, right? I'm sure you could have guessed that. So, we have to take this other route to avoid that. Join me in the next video for more from this country of Haiti. I can't really say much, but all I can say is... I just feel for the people of the country, you know? You've seen people coming at that petrol situation today and just shouting at the camera. Coming right up to my lens, no hesitation, screaming. This is the fault of the government. Why are you doing this to us? Please help us. Begging. You can see the fire in their eyes. What those guys were saying about the police showing up and just taking their petrol and sabotaging other people's petrol. I mean, it's just incomprehensible. So, I hope these videos give you a bit of understanding of the people here, you know? It's not all gangs and criminals and things, right? It's everyday people, of course. You know, that should be obvious. They have to live through all this. And it's just absolutely horrific what the people have to go through here. The living conditions and the fighting and the constant fear of violence. It's at the top of the Richter scale is all I can say, really. So, I'll see you in the next video. Thank you so much for watching. And my heart goes out to the people of Haiti. I just want to take a second and say thank you to Surfshark for sponsoring this video. I'm sure most of you know what a VPN is by now. But if you don't, it stands for Virtual Private Network. And it basically keeps your device encrypted and protected when using the internet, which nowadays is something that's becoming increasingly important. Surfshark VPN keeps your online identity safe by encrypting all the information sent between your device and the internet. This keeps your personal data protected from big companies or cyber criminals. Another great feature that you can use a VPN for is swapping the real location of your device with a new one. AKA changing your IP address. 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