Cité Soleil Residents Stage Rare Public Protest Demanding Police Protection as MSF Hospital Enters Day 19

On May 27–28, 2026, approximately two dozen residents of Cité Soleil gathered at a street intersection — holding tree branches as symbols of defiance — to demand police protection as gang violence continued for a fourth consecutive day. The Associated Press documented the scene firsthand, including 67-year-old Roselaine Jean-Pierre, who had fled her home and was sleeping outdoors. The protest followed days of violence beginning May 25: mass shootings, arson of occupied homes with families inside, looting, and reported beheadings of civilians. The act of public protest in a commune under total gang control — where speaking out risks immediate retaliation — was described by observers as an extraordinary act of desperation. MSF's hospital, simultaneously on its 19th consecutive day of closure, left approximately 300,000 residents without emergency medical access.