GPzMike Abroad

As I wonder around Leogane I am constantly seeing a variety of security devices on homes. Massive cinder block walls with 1/8" steel gates, front doors in the same steel, razor wire, broken bottles, or ragged conch shells cemented atop walls - for some naive reason I expect a place like Haiti, with it's good natured, strong willed, and deeply religious people, to be more like Smalltown, America than New York City.

In Smalltown you get to know your neighbors. You trust them. Everyone looks out for one another - or at least they do to the point that the residents are not compelled to rig up shotguns aimed at their front doors, install steel doors and 10' concrete walls around their 1/16 acre property. These are deterrents that were in place before the earthquake and are being re-installed post earthquake.

So what makes the Hatians feel so compelled to go to such measures? Why spend good money on such extravagances? I don't know. Coming from a place of excess and plenty, it's not only hard for me to say, but it's also pure hogwash of me to suppose a reason. I'm sure there are other words that might be used to describe such an attempt: false, empty, vain, delusional? Keep going - there's an abundance of remarkably adept words for it.

Do they really experience this much vandalism and burglary here? In Port-Au-Prince, I could well believe it with the gangs and whatnot. In Leogane, though, there is such a feeling of community. There is no technology spouting volumes of fear inducing 'don't trust anyone' dribble. When something wrong happens here it's likely to be handled in a 'street rules' manner rather than a call to the police. Everyone knows everyone, knows what's going on.

Okay, so if it isn't to protect 'stuff' then what? Is it a show of wealth? Prosperity? That's the only other reason I can think of. Rather like the brother's in the hood riding around in their car with $10k worth of rims under their hoopty only to go home to a house or apartment with barred windows and cyclone fenced yard and derelict cars with bullet holes and blown out windows on their block. What sense does that make?

I'm bringing up more questions that nailing down answers I fear.