ABSTRACT
“We want Aristide,” “No Aristide, No Peace!” On October 11, 1991 the streets of lower Manhattan, including the entire Wall Street area, were occupied by tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants. They marched from Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn across the Brooklyn Bridge, rallied on the steps of the historic Customs House, flooded Wall Street, went on to the United Nations, and then split up into handfuls of people who marched through Grand Central Station continuing to shout their demands, “We want Aristide!” “We want Aristide!” The New York Times, reporting on the event the next morning, noted that not a single person was arrested in the course of the day-long demonstration (Faison 1991:32). Instead of facing opposition 146to what could well have been looked upon as a veritable invasion, the marchers were greeted by the Mayor of the City of New York, who warmly addressed the demonstrators.
