Page 4 - aruba-today-20240920

A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 20 September 2024
A news site that covers Haitian Americans is facing harassment

over its post-debate coverage of Ohio

By DAVID BAUDER out fear or favor, and we
AP Media Writer have no fear.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Jour- Pierre-Pierre, who emigrat-
nalists at a news site that ed to the United States in
covers the Haitian com- 1975, started the Haitian
munity in the United States Times to cover issues involv-
say they’ve been harassed ing first- and second-gener-
and intimidated with rac- ation Haitians in the United
ist messages for covering States, along with report-
a fake story about immi- ing on what is happening
grants eating the pets of in their ancestral home. It
people in an Ohio town. started as a print publica-
One editor at the Haitian tion that went online only
Times, a 25-year-old online in 2012 and now averages
publication, was “swatted” 10,000 to 15,000 visitors a
this week with police turn- day, although its reader-
ing up at her home to in- ship has expanded in re-
vestigate a false report of a cent weeks.
gruesome crime. The news Macollvie Neel, the New
site canceled a commu- York-based special projects
nity forum it had planned editor, was the staff mem-
for Springfield, Ohio and ber who had police officers
has shut down public com- show up at her doorstep on
ments on its stories about The sun rises over the city of Springfield, Ohio, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Monday.
the issue because of threats Associated Press It was triggered when a
and vile posts. Haitian advocacy group
The Times, which had the thing like this,” Pierre-Pierre was spread by Ohio Sen. former reporter at The New received an email about
Committee to Protect Jour- said Wednesday. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s York Times who echoed a a crime at Neel’s address.
nalists conduct safety train- The site says it isn’t backing Republican running mate mission statement from his They, in turn, notified police
ing for its journalists in Haiti, down. The Times has de- in the presidential election, old employer in making who showed up to investi-
has now asked for advice bunked and aggressively and Trump himself in his that promise. gate. Not only did the in-
on how to protect staff covered the aftermath debate with Democrat Ka- “We do not want to hiber- stigators know where Neel
in the United States, said of the story about immi- mala Harris. Despite receiv- nate,” he said. “We’re tak- lived, they covered their
Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder grants supposedly eating ing hundreds of these mes- ing the precautions that tracks by funneling the re-
and publisher. the dogs and cats of other sages, the site isn’t backing are necessary. But our first port through another orga-
“We’ve never faced any- Springfield residents, as it down, said Pierre-Pierre, a duty is to tell the truth with- nization, she said.q

U.S. troops finish deployment to remote Alaska island amid spike

in Russian military activity

By MARK THIESSEN sels, including two sub- breached U.S. airspace. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, Sword said.
Associated Press marines, traveling close to A Pentagon spokesperson commanding general of The Russian military planes
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Alaska as Russia and China said earlier this week that the 11th Airborne Division, operated in the Alaska
— About 130 U.S. soldiers conducted joint military there was no cause for has told media the deploy- Air Defense Identification
are returning to their bases drills. None of the planes alarm. ment to the island 1,200 Zone, NORAD said. That is
after being deployed last miles (1,930 kilometers) beyond U.S. sovereign air
week to a remote Alaska southwest of Anchorage space but an area in which
island with mobile rocket was done at the right time. aircraft are expected to
launchers amid a spike in The deployment occurred identify themselves.
Russian military activity off Sept. 12. The North Ameri- The frequency of Russian
the western reaches of the can Aerospace Defense airplanes entering the zone
U.S., a military official said Command said it detected varies yearly. NORAD has
Thursday. and tracked Russian military said the average was six
The deployment to Shemya planes operating off Alaska or seven a year, but it has
Island involved soldiers from over a four-day span. There increased recently. There
Alaska, Washington and were two planes each on were 26 instances last year
Hawaii with the 11th Air- Sept. 11, Sept. 13, Sept. 14 and 25 so far this year.
borne Division and the 1st and Sept. 15. The U.S. Coast Guard’s 418-
and 3rd Multi Domain Task The exercise was a mea- foot (127-meter) home-
Forces, Sgt. 1st Class Mi- sure of the military’s readi- land security vessel Strat-
chael Sword, a spokesper- ness to deploy troops and ton was on routine patrol
son for the 11th Airborne, In this image released by the U.S. Army, U.S. Army soldiers equipment, Sword said. in the Chukchi Sea when
said in an email to The As- assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, “It’s a great opportunity to it tracked four Russian Fed-
sociated Press. 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne test ourselves in real-world eration Navy vessels about
The deployment coincided Division, maneuver through the thick terrain of Shemya Island, conditions, and another 60 miles (100 kilometers)
with eight Russian military Alaska, as part of a force projection operation to the remote benefit to being stationed northwest of Point Hope,
island in the North Pacific Ocean, Sept. 13, 2024.
planes and four navy ves- Associated Press in a place like Alaska,” the agency said Sunday.q