Overview:
Cap-Haïtien’s garbage crisis led to the dismissal of Mayor Yvrose Pierre. Angie Bell, a young entrepreneur, marketer and cultural specialist from the Haitian community in South Florida, is deeply involved in the northern city’s affairs and now heads a new mayoral team. Residents welcome the change, but many doubt her appointment will fix corruption issues and produce real results. Some say Bell is the founder and executive director of Pou Bèl Ayiti, an organization under contract with the city, raising conflict-of-interest concerns.
CAP-HAÏTIEN— Haiti’s second-largest city and cultural jewel is at a breaking point. A worsening sanitation crisis has piled trash onto its streets and clogged canals—despite having just celebrated its 355th anniversary—threatening public health and its historic image, keeping away tourism.
The crisis reached a peak last week when the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) dismissed Mayor Yvrose Pierre after years of criticism over mismanagement. On Aug. 20, the CPT appointed a three-member mayoral team led by Angie Bell, a young entrepreneur, marketer, cultural consultant and founder of Pou Bèl Ayiti or “For Beautiful Haiti” — an artistic environmental organization aimed at keeping the streets of Haiti clean. Bell has been very involved in cleaning efforts in Cap-Haïtien recently.
As a career highlight, Bell had worked as co-chair of the fundraising and public relations committee at the Haitian American Professionals Coalition (HAPC) and as marketing director of the Haitian American Historical Society (HAHS). Bell co-owns Atizan International, a marketing firm that promotes Haitian and Caribbean culture through event production and project management. She co-hosts the Ayiti Parle show on the Miami-based Island TV, where she continues to showcase pride in her heritage. She currently serves as vice rector and dean of business at Université des Atlantes in Cap-Haïtien— a position she has held since 2022.
“It’s an aberration that Ms. Bell has a contract with the state to collect garbage and that she is again appointed mayor. It’s corruption.”
Jacques Célicourt, A Cap-Haïtien school teacher
Beyond recycling and street cleaning projects, Bell’s organization was created to fight deforestation, protect the environment and promote a “clean” lifestyle. Targeted at children across Haiti, her project also serves as an educational tool to raise awareness and encourage action on climate change. She is also the founder of SEproject, a non-profit organization that helps young children in Cap-Haitien attend school.
As mayor, Bell will manage the city alongside Isaac Pierre-Louis and former Pierre’s team member Patrick Almonor.
The reshuffle followed viral remarks by Guadeloupean artist Anthony Drew, who, while performing with the band Zile, Creole for Island, said Les Cayes was “cleaner and more beautiful than Cap-Haïtien.” His comments echoed frustrations long voiced by residents and stung in a city once known as “the Paris of the Antilles.”
The landfill is only the pilot project of a broader initiative and can process trash for three to six months
Years of mounting frustration amid tourism and economic fallout
Cap-Haïtien’s waste problem did not emerge overnight. After the 2010 earthquake and recent escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince, the city’s population swelled, straining infrastructure that had been designed for just 50,000 residents. Cleanup efforts launched by nonprofit organizations (NGOs) faltered within a few years, and subsequent municipal campaigns repeatedly failed to meet expectations.
In 2013, then-Mayor Wilborde Beon announced an ambitious citywide cleanup drive, but the initiative collapsed due to a lack of funds and poor coordination. By the mid-2010s, trash regularly clogged major intersections and canals, contributing to flash floods that submerged whole neighborhoods during heavy rains. Tourism operators warned that Cap-Haïtien’s international image was suffering, with garbage marring visits to historic sites such as the Citadelle and Sans-Souci Palace.
Pierre, who took office in 2015, quickly became the target of mounting criticism. Civil society groups accused her administration of mismanaging funds earmarked for sanitation. Local media reports revealed no-bid contracts and poor accountability, even as piles of garbage overtook markets and public squares. By 2020, protests erupted in neighborhoods like Cité Lescot, where residents demanded action as flooding worsened.
Despite repeated promises, the problems continued through 2024. Overflowing landfills, neglected drainage systems and inadequate equipment became defining features of Pierre’s tenure.
“Our beloved city was built for only 50,000 people, and the infrastructure has not been improved despite all the changes over the past decades.”
Kenston Jean-Baptiste, A former parliamentarian
“The beloved city was built for 50,000 people, but infrastructure has never been improved despite all the changes over the past decades,” said former Cap-Haïtien Deputy Kenston Jean-Baptiste. “This neglect has turned a historic city into a public health hazard.”
For a city reliant on its heritage to draw visitors, the waste crisis carried heavy economic consequences. Tourism arrivals dipped as social media filled with images of garbage-strewn streets. Tour guides and hotel owners warned that Cap-Haïtien’s reputation as Haiti’s cultural capital was slipping away.
“The trash doesn’t just look bad,” said one hotel operator who preferred not to be named. “It discourages visitors and puts our economy in danger.”
Controversy over Angie Bell’s appointment
Bell’s appointment has drawn mixed reactions. As head of Pou Bèl Ayiti, she has long promoted waste-management campaigns. But critics say her organization’s contracts with the government create a conflict of interest.
“It’s an aberration that Ms. Bell has a contract with the state to collect garbage and that she is again appointed mayor,” said Jacques Célicourt, a Cap-Haïtien school teacher. “It’s corruption.”
However, Célicourt, like many others, welcomed the shakeup. “Yvrose Pierre spent 10 years at the City Hall without accomplishing anything,” added. “At least now there’s hope for something different.”
Local entrepreneur Micelin Petit-Frère was skeptical. “There will be no change in Cap-Haïtien; new rich people will be created,” he said, suggesting the reshuffle is more about government political maneuvering than solving waste problems.
Political backdrop and a city at a crossroads
The CPT’s intervention also raised questions about electoral strategy. Some residents see the appointments as a way for the transitional government to extend its influence without holding elections. Similar shakeups are planned in other northern cities, including Ouanaminthe, in the northeast, Port-de-Paix in the northwest and Gonaïves in the Artibonite, where garbage, insecurity and failing infrastructure also plague daily life.
Activist Karène Adéus, responding to viral remarks on social media, said the crisis reflects a deeper failure of governance. “The problem isn’t just the number of people living in the city,” she wrote. “It’s the City Hall and central government, which have never had a clear national plan for waste management.”
For Cap-Haïtien, the challenge is urgent. Without reliable waste collection, drainage improvements and investment in infrastructure, the city risks further decline and damage to its economy.
Whether Mayor Bell and her team can overcome skepticism and deliver tangible results remains to be seen. For weary residents, real progress — not promises — will determine the city’s future.