Yesterday morning, I received a call from someone close to the Trio-promoters’ camp (Foe, Richard, Glasses) I was told to get there early to bring my camera for action. I did as I was told. Papa jube received a call around 7:30, the call did not sit well with Jube, and he called Larry Gold, the owner of SOBS and requested the permission to hire more security. Many of you who went to the party last night can notice that for the first time they were searched at the door at SOBS. The Musicians VIP room was also under tight security, in the past anyone could just walk downstairs and go to the Musicians dressing room, but not last night, you needed to have a badge to get in.

By 1:00am I received a phone call from someone who was having trouble getting in because it was too crowded, so I went outside to get the person in. As soon as I walked outside, I met one of the guys from the Trio, I tried to crack a joke with him, he told me straight up…”I ain’t come here to play tonight”… from that point on I knew it was going to be a long night.

I got the person in and I went back to take some pictures while Carimi was performing. One of the guys walked up to the front of the stage and asked Carimi to make an announcement of that particular party. Mickael took the flyer, looked at it and told the gentleman. “I cannot make the announcement unless my manager tells me to do so, go ask Fito”. By that time Richard was talking to Fito asking Fito to have Mickael make the announcement. When Mickael refused to make that announcement, all of a sudden Fito was surrounded by the Trio group, Brothers were standing not too far away from this drama, but never got involved. One of the Trio guys signaled Fito to go downstairs. They followed Fito downstairs. Brothers’ guys still did not budge but they signal Mickael to stop the band and to order Fito not to go down stairs. Mickael stopped the band and called on Fito out loud on the microphone not to go downstairs, but to come up on the stage instead. It was too late; Fito was already being pressured downstairs. At this point Mickael proceeded to get off the stage to go get Fito “I did not like the vibe that’s why I asked Fito not to go downstairs, and that’s why I followed him downstairs, he is our manager, I did not want anything to happen to him” explained Mickael to me after the incident.

One of the Trio guys signaled Fito to go downstairs. They followed Fito downstairs. Brothers’ guys still did not budge but they signal Mickael to stop the band and to order Fito not to go down stairs. Mickael stopped the band and called on Fito out loud on the microphone not to go downstairs, but to come up on the stage instead. It was too late; Fito was already being pressured downstairs. At this point Mickael proceeded to get off the stage to go get Fito “I did not like the vibe that’s why I asked Fito not to go downstairs, and that’s why I followed him downstairs, he is our manager, I did not want anything to happen to him” explained Mickael to me after the incident.

At that point, the Brothers’ guys followed Mickael downstairs, I followed them as well, the tension was rising, and it started to get ugly as words were being exchanged by both camps. At one point Fito was shoved and that’s when Jube came in between and told Mickael to bring Fito back upstairs so he can continue the party. Mickael and Fito went back upstairs.

But the tension was still high, downstairs, the key negotiators were brought to the SOBS’ office by Papa Jube, including Foe, Country, and Richard Urbain, a security guard was placed outside the door, but somehow, I was allowed in… the rest of the Trio group stayed in the dressing room while the Brothers guys went back upstairs. Jube was trying to talk to the guys, but Jube had no influence of providing the Trio with a satisfactory answer… “All I want is for them to announce my party,” screamed Richard Urbain at that point Jube had no choice but to call on Fito to come back downstairs because he is the only one who can meet that demand. Fito was brought back downstairs. At one point, I was asked by one of the guys to leave and he also threatened to take my camera, because I was from the media, but I was given the ok to stay by the majority. Again Fito was asked that he make the announcement for the party, Fito’s reply was that… “I can’t do that because Joubert Charles told me that Kreyol La will not participate at that party.” “Don’t worry about Kreyol La, worry about Carimi, you need to make this announcement” shouted one of the guys. Fito again replied, “ It will not happen, have K-dans make the announcement”.

While the negotiation was going on downstairs, Carimi was in the process of playing their last song; at that time I left the office and went back upstairs…it was perfect timing, because that’s when all hell broke loose. Fito was hit and Mickael jumped in to defend Fito while the other members looked on hopelessly. A man was filming the whole incident had his camera confiscated by the group of men.

UPDATE: THE CAMERAMAN’S STATEMENT:

“I was the cameraman you were referring to. As I was in the middle of the whole thing and I had my camera, I proceeded to film the incident for my personal use, I don’t work for any media but I guess it was a bad decision on my part because I was punched and the camera was taken away from me. I told them to just remove the memory card and give me the camera, but they didn’t want to hear it. I had my brother who was with me when I told him what just happened, he went outside to try to talk to the guys to see if they’ll give back the camera, at that point things got worse, they all jumped on him kicked him to the ground, his face was all bloodied and he broke one of his arms. I had to call the Ambulance and rushed him to the emergency room. This is it for me, I’m done with Haitian parties. My brother who is not used to that stuff, I convinced him to go and he ended up in the emergency room. I have a broken jaw myself. Please don’t mention my name I don’t want any further damage.”