Overview:
As Cap-Haïtien prepares to celebrate its 355th anniversary and proceeds with a road construction project, city officials are cracking down on a sprawling outdoor market long criticized for unsanitary conditions. Merchants, however, continue to sell there, citing a lack of alternatives and the need to survive.
CAP-HAÏTIEN —Under the scorching sun, customers squeezed past merchants at the outdoor market in Lòtbò Pon (Other Side of the Bridge), a slum in Cap-Haïtien, on July 8. When a man shouted “BSAP”—a reference to the city’s Protected Areas Security Brigade—merchants scrambled to pack up their goods. But after exchanging a few words, they realized it was a false alarm and resumed their business.
Just weeks before its 355th anniversary on Aug. 15, Cap-Haïtien appears to be ramping up efforts to give the city a facelift, even as Town Hall officials remain unavailable for comment. The administration has launched a controversial push to shut down the outdoor market at Lòtbò Pon—Haitian Creole for “Other Side of the Bridge”—a neighborhood just beyond downtown.
The Haitian Times reached out to Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor for comment on the city’s plans, but he has not responded. Merchants agreed that they should not sell at the market due to poor sanitation in the area.
Despite repeated orders from city officials, hundreds of vendors continue to gather at the roadside market, which authorities have labeled unsanitary and a major obstacle to ongoing roadwork. On July 6 and again on July 9, local officials—joined by security guards, BSAP agents and Haitian National Police (PNH) officers—dismantled nearby kiosks and tossed vendors’ goods. But the crackdown has only heightened tensions between authorities and vendors fighting to preserve their livelihoods.
“To tell you the truth, we’re not supposed to be here,” said vendor Mydeline Etienne, 33. “Yes, I agree. But they need to build a better place for us to sell at.”
The market—roughly a 10-minute drive from the Hugo Chávez Cap-Haïtien International Airport—is among the first things tourists see when entering the city. Local leaders say its appearance and conditions threaten efforts to draw tourism and investment. Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city, is one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere and a key part of the country’s historical legacy and cultural identity.
The goal is reportedly to transform Lòtbò Pon into a continuation of the Boulevard, a well-paved and renovated stretch of road in the city center.
A city often in transition
Last year, the city closed the downtown indoor public market for 22 days to give it a facelift. This time, however, officials aim to permanently shut down the open-air market in Lòtbò Pon, leaving hundreds of vendors uncertain about their future.
“If they throw away my merchandise, it’s like they’re throwing me away,” said a merchant who preferred to be called Man Jean—a Haitian Creole expression meaning “Mrs. Jean.”
“I’m not mad, I’m not happy because they’re telling us to leave. But if they’re doing so, they have to give us somewhere else to sell at.”
Man Jean, a charcoal vendor and grandmother supporting eight dependents, is among those worried about the shutdown. She said she still owes money on dozens of charcoal bags she’s trying to sell—some already torn and hard to move quickly if she’s forced to flee.
Behind the bridge, where sellers and buyers gather in the open air, the area is visibly neglected. The roads are unpaved, clouds of dust rise as cars and motorcycles weave through traffic, and trash is scattered near food and merchandise. In 2020, authorities demolished two neighborhoods—Shadda 1 and Shadda 2—in an effort to uproot gang activity that gripped the area in the 2010s. Yet the area remains marked by poverty, unsanitary conditions and crumbling infrastructure.
“If they throw away my merchandise, it’s like they’re throwing me away. I’m not mad, I’m not happy because they’re telling us to leave. But if they’re doing so, they have to give us somewhere else to sell at.”
Man Jean, charcoal seller
The market has long been an economic lifeline for residents of Cap-Haïtien’s most underserved neighborhoods, despite being overcrowded with waste and lacking basic sanitation. But now merchants sell with their hearts pounding, fearing BSAP agents, Town Hall security guards and police officers will keep returning.
City officials have urged vendors to relocate to the nearby indoor market, but sellers say there isn’t enough space and worry about losing foot traffic. While some, like Etienne—who has sold toothbrushes and secondhand sneakers at the site since 2016—have backup locations, many others do not.
Vegetable seller Marcellin Saintilus, 48, said he would rather abandon his goods than risk confrontation with police or BSAP agents.
“I’m really afraid of getting hit,” Saintilus said. “I’d rather run and lose my merchandise if they come… If they close here, a lot of people will go hungry.”
“And some merchants will just go home and won’t be working,” he added.
Urban management challenges across Haiti
Cap-Haïtien’s situation underscores broader issues facing Haitian cities: rapid population growth, limited infrastructure and fragile sanitation systems. Across the country, informal markets sprawl in congested, underserved urban areas, where government capacity to provide trash collection, public restrooms or structured commerce zones remains low.
Public health experts have repeatedly warned that Haiti’s urban sanitation problems pose serious risks—not just to the environment but also to people and the national economy. According to the World Bank, less than 46% of Haiti’s urban population has access to basic sanitation, underscoring the country’s broader challenges with waste management and public health infrastructure in cities.
As Cap-Haïtien looks to present a cleaner, more modern face for its historic milestone, the challenge will be balancing civic pride with economic survival for its most vulnerable residents.