We — members of trade unions, political organizations, and youth associations from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Santa Lucia, Mexico, Brazil, France and the United States — have gathered in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) on May 11-12, 2007 at the Caribbean Conference in Solidarity with the People of Haiti. The Conference was held at the initiative of the Caribbean Workers and Peoples Alliance and with the support of the International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples.
During this gathering we heard the reports from the U.S. delegates about the consequences of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, namely:
During this gathering we heard the reports from the U.S. delegates about the consequences of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, namely:
- the lack of any measures of prevention or assistance to the residents of Louisiana and Mississippi — especially to the Blacks, Latinos, and the poor, particularly the women; this led to the death and disappearance of more than 2,000 people, with an additional 800,000 displaced from their homes, many of them left homeless;
- the forcible displacement of Survivors to 44 states across the United States; and
- the countless maneuvers and measures by the U.S. government, at all levels, during this so-called "reconstruction" period aimed at preventing the Survivors from returning to their homes in what amounts to a clear-cut policy of ethnic cleansing.
We, who were present in Santo Domingo on May 11-12, 2007, hereby:
- designate the U.S. government as being solely responsible for this catastrophe,
- denounce the racist and anti-worker policies carried out by the U.S. government at all levels;
- condemn George W. Bush’s refusal to accept international aid; and
- decide to reply favorably to the Appeal for Active Solidarity and Support to the International Tribunal on Katrina, which will be held from the August 28 to September 2, 2007 in New Orleans.
Santo Domingo, May 12, 2007
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