COLUMBUS, Ohio — As gang wars wreak havoc on Haiti, the impact of the deadly violence is felt in Ohio.

What You Need To Know

  • Columbus is home to the largest Haitian population in Ohio

  • Jean Manuel moved to the U.S. nearly 40 years ago from Haiti; most of his family is still in Haiti

  • He said family members are having trouble accessing food with Port-au-Prince blocked and gangs in control of neighborhoods

Columbus is home to the largest Haitian population in the state, and some native Haitians, like Jean Manuel, are worried about loved ones living in the country in crisis.

“I don’t know one Haitian that does not watch the news,” Manuel said. “We sleep on the news and wake up on the news.”

He said he has lived in the U.S. for nearly 40 years, but his heart and most of his family remain in Haiti. He said he has watched the situation in his homeland go from bad to worse.

“It’s sad,” he said. “I don’t see how it’s going to resolve, because you can’t go and kill everybody. You know, I don’t see how it’s going to resolve, but I really would start from the guys in suits. The politicians. I would start from them first, not the ones in the street with the guns, because most of them don’t own it.”

He said the capital city of Port-au-Prince is blocked, meaning people cannot access food.

“They can’t go to the store to buy anything,” Manuel said. “Even if they’re buying something, they have to pay five times more than the regular price. So, yeah, this is really a dire situation right now.”

He said gangs control neighborhoods.

“If they don’t like you, then there’s nobody that’s going to question them if they kill you or anything,” he said. “They kidnap you.”

For now, Manuel is doing his best to stay positive and focus on a better future.

“It’s sad to see where we are, what Haiti becomes,” he said. “And we all have the hope that Haiti will be our place to retire. Because we love the place.”