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Bel Air, Haiti
Bel Air (Haitian Creole: Bèlè, English: Pretty Air) is a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It is a slum area of the city and suffers from poverty. Crime is widespread, and kidnappings and killings have created panic among the local population.[1] The neighborhood is also noted for housing a community of artists and craftsmen who produce inspired by Haitian Vodou, such as flags.[2][3] HistoryIn the late 19th century, Bel Air was the preferred place of settlement for British West Indian migrants to Haiti, the largest group of which were Jamaicans.[4] Bel Air has served as a launching site for political demonstrations demanding the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In recent years, it has been marred by political violence and massacres by police.[5]  On January 5, 2005, an uprising broke out and was suppressed by hundreds of Brazilian soldiers and special units of the Haitian National Police.[5] Five persons were reported to have been killed.[5] The trouble in the Bel Air area of the city was seen by the authorities as a major threat to the safety of the 2005 elections in Haiti.  The neighborhood was the most devastated area of Port-au-Prince after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[6] CrimeAt the end of 2011, the murder rate in Bel Air reached 50 murders per 100,000 residents, up from 19 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010.[7] References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bel Air (Haiti).
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