Joel JEAN CHARLES dies

December 29, 2010

"Our Joel, is dead!" my wife Merline cried hysterically. "His body is laying in a canal of sewage and garbage. They shot him last night. No one helped him. He's still there."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Between sobs she continued, "Our Joel who was just here, who brought the goat to wish us happy holidays, they killed him last night."

Joel was born in Grand Goave, where Merline is from. He's a longtime friend of her family. He's a carpenter with a shop in a Port au Prince slum called Village de Dieu. He lived in a neighboring slum called Cite d'Eternel. His small home was destroyed in the earthquake. He along with his brother-in-law, Feny who lived with him, and two of his workers--their homes were also destroyed--came and lived with us after the earthquake.

We all took advantage of the situation: they set up shop and created furniture and finished kitchen cabinets for our home that were started before the earthquake.

No matter what obstacle Joel faced, he always seemed to have a smile and giggle. He worked like crazy but always found time for a joke and a laugh. He had a unique way of talking and my brother-in-law Alex and others would tease him relentlessly. Joel knew how to laugh at himself and sometimes we laughed until we cried.

His brother-in-law Fenye still lives with us.

We loved Joel and will miss him deeply. He left behind his wife Sylvette, and two daughters Alexandra, 10 months and Naicka, 5.

Among Joel's dreams was to marry Sylvette in a formal wedding ceremony. Many in Haiti never marry because they cannot afford a wedding. This past March Joel realized his dream. We had the ceremony at our house and Pastor Bryan Wenger of Indian River Presbyterian Church married them.

It was a joyous occasion. Click here for many beautiful photos taken by Deborah Silver with Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers.

Insecurity in many of Haiti's slums including Cite d'Eternel is getting worse. Joel and others had recently organized what's referred to in Haiti as a brigad - groups of men in the community who take shifts throughout the night to keep thieves and criminals out of their neighborhood.

As an entrepreneur, an employer and a nice guy with a good head, Joel's known as one of the community leaders.

Last evening at around 8:00 pm a group of armed guys in a truck raced into the community, chased him down, forced him into the truck and drove away. A couple of hours later a friend of Joel received a call from Joel's phone and an unfamiliar voice told him, "Come and get the cadaver. He's in the canal." His friends' and family's search for Joel ended at 1:00 am this morning. Merline talked with Sylvette this morning on the phone, "I left with nothing but my child. I can't let them find me."