Ray LaForest
Template:TOCnestleft Ray LaForest is a New York City Labor Organizer. Lives in Queens, New York From Ville De Port-Au-Prince, Ouest, Haiti.
Education
Studied at Queens College, City University of New York.
Left Forum 2017
The UN in Haiti: The Shell Game of Military Occupation
- Nat Wood Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) produce live talk show: 30 Frames a Second
- Kim Ives Haiti Liberte Newspaper
- Pojaneey Fleury Brown Eyez Magazine , Ayiti and Disapora Business
- Ray LaForest
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
In 2008 Ray LaForest, member Coordinating Committee, Haiti Support Network; member National Board, Pacifica Foundation, New York signed a statement circulated by the Partisan Defense Committee calling for the release of convicted “cop-killer” Mumia Abu-Jamal.[1]
HSN contacts
2007 contacts for the Haiti Support Network were Ray LaForest and Lauren Melodia.[2]
Haiti delegation
On May 18th 2004 , a 21-year-old truck driver was on a shopping trip for his mother, when the bus he was on wasstopped at a police checkpoint in Portail St. Joseph in Haiti. Police let all the women off the bus and arrestedall the men, without warrant and without charge.The next day this man, who asked that his name not be revealed, saw a judge, who sent him to see aprosecutor. The prosecutor told him he would send his case to another judge to decide whether to hold trial orrelease him. He has not heard from anyone since, and as of Sept. 4 was still locked up in the National Penitentiary at Port-au-Prince. He says he still doesn't know why he's in prison.
This is just one of countless stories delegates on a four-day fact-finding delegation in Haiti heard about thedeteriorating human rights situation in that country.From Sept. 3-6, delegates from both coasts of the United States met with political prisoners, internal exiles, women's groups and labor leaders, who all told of a worsening of conditions since the Feb. 29 U.S. "coup-knapping" of democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.The Caribbean nation is now occupied by a United Nations "peacekeeping" force dominated by the U.S. and France. Josue Renaud of the New England Coalition for Human Rights in Haiti, a member of the delegation, told Workers World: "We are very concerned about the situation of these political prisoners, including Sò Anne, Neptune and Evert, arrested without warrants, under false charges. The government needs to release themimmediately.
"Kim Ives of Haiti Progres and the Haiti Support Network said, "Our visit helped reveal the depth and breadthof repression in Haiti today. The mainstream press, if they mention Haiti's political prisoners at all, focus juston two: constitutional Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and Lavalas activist So Anne. Our delegation revealed thatthere are scores of prisoners in the National Penitentiary alone, not to mention the other prisons around thecountry."We also uncovered that the problem of internal exile is much more prevalent than generally known. We learned that violence ranging from targeted killings to government-incited gang wars is driving thousandsfrom their homes.
"Also participating in the delegation were Haitian journalist Robert Benjamin, Catholic activist Kathy Boylan,radio program hosts Karine Jean-Pierre and Joseph Chery, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, SteelWorkers Local 8751 President Steve Gillis, filmmaker Katherine Kean, Haitian unionist Ray LaForest, former U.S. Army Capt. Lawrence Rockwood and Leilani Dowell, who represented the International Action Center.
The delegation met with approximately 35 political prisoners, including Annette "SÒ Anne" Auguste, well-known Haitian singer and Lavalas activist; Prime Minister Yvon Neptune; and Minister of the Interior Jocelerme Evert.[3]
Committee to Celebrate the Life of Luis Miranda Rivas
In 2009 Ray LaForest was a member of the Committee to Celebrate the Life of Luis Miranda Rivas.[4]
Revolutionary Strategies to Beat the Rising Right Wing
Revolutionary Strategies to Beat the Rising Right Wing, was a nationwide conference call organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Sunday October 30, 2016.
- What's the nature of this right-wing threat? What has this election cycle changed about the political terrain we're fighting on? How do we need to prepare for whats coming after the election? Hear about these crucial questions from our panel of top political strategists, including Nelini Stamp, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Linda Burnham, and Sendolo Diaminah.
Those invited, on Facebook included Ray LaForest.[5]