An all-format AP team that included Caribbean correspondent Dánica Coto got rare access to a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, where vigilantes are striking back at gang members with brutal street justice.
The team, which also included Pierre Luxama, Joseph Odelyn, Evens Sanon and Ariana Cubillos, sought to observe the roots of an unprecedented uprising sweeping the country. Few people were willing to talk, and none were willing to be photographed, but the rare access that journalists gained provided the AP team with crucial details about the so-called “bwa kale” movement that human rights experts say has led to a drop in kidnappings and killings blamed on gangs that control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince.
The story was widely shared in social media, and on Sunday it was one of the top 10 AP stories, and the second one in terms of engagement.