MIAMI — Miami police will not allow former Haitian President Michel Martelly, known as “Sweet Micky” on stage, to perform at a music festival in Little Haiti on Saturday, citing safety concerns amid pressure from community members who say the controversial politician and singer shouldn’t be welcome in the city.
Martelly, the president of Haiti from 2011 to 2016 and a popular musician, drew protesters at a 2018 show in Miami that, like the event this weekend, took place at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex in celebration of Haitian Flag Day.
A Miami Police Department spokesperson said Friday morning that a permit for the “Best of Haiti Music Fest” has not yet been issued because of other, unspecified reasons, but that any permit granted would be revoked if Martelly remains in the lineup.
“If Mr. Martelly is scheduled to perform, based on a risk assessment and in the interest of public safety, Chief (Manny) Morales will revoke the event permit,” the spokesperson said.
Police said multiple events taking place simultaneously on Saturday would “strain” their ability to maintain order, but wouldn’t explain why they were concerned specifically about Martelly’s performance.
The former president is a source of anger for many Haitians. Since leaving office, Martelly has faced corruption allegations and his PHTK political party, which has governed Haiti for the past decade, has been blamed for escalating political instability and gang violence in the country.
A lawsuit filed by members of the Haitian diaspora in a U.S. federal court also accused Martelly and his successors of conspiring to fix the price of phone calls and money transfers to fund what the plaintiffs claim is a non-existent education program in Haiti.
“I have family in Haiti who have been suffering because of Sweet Micky,” said Tony Jeanthenor, who chairs the Haitian rights group Veye Yo and co-authored a May 13 letter to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez opposing Martelly’s presence in Miami.
Jeanthenor said activists plan to demonstrate at the event Saturday even if Martelly isn’t there, to press the mayor to permanently bar him from the city.
“We are not going to stop until the city declares him persona non grata,” he said.
The former president has faced backlash ahead of performances in other cities, including Montreal, where a show was canceled in 2019 after opponents cited misogynistic comments and alleged corruption.
Miami city officials said they told event organizers on Thursday that Martelly could not perform, but an email from organizers went out Friday morning promoting $10 tickets and featuring multiple images of the Haitian singer.
Lead event organizer Terry Louis and Sandy Dorsainvil, who manages the city-owned Little Haiti Cultural Complex, could not immediately be reached for comment.
In 2018, Dorsainvil defended her decision to invite Martelly to perform, calling him “one of the most popular bands in the Haitian music industry.”
Patricia Stevens, a friend of Louis, told the Miami Herald the event organizer was “very disappointed” in the city’s decision.
“Who would not want to see the former president, who is the number one Haitian artist there is?” Stevens said. “It’s like saying Bill Clinton is coming to play his saxophone and admission is $10.”
City officials insisted the decision was about safety, not politics. But it came after Haitian community activists sent the May 13 letter to Suarez, just as they did ahead of Martelly’s 2018 performance in Miami.
The letter’s signers said they “vehemently oppose” Martelly’s presence in Little Haiti and that Martelly is responsible for “kidnappings” and “gang-related crimes” against Haitians.
Soledad Cedro, a spokesperson for Suarez, said the mayor “completely agrees” with the city’s decision to bar Martelly for safety reasons but wouldn’t elaborate on any political concerns.
Martelly could not be reached for comment.
Miami has made waves before for excluding musical artists from performing in the city — although past incidents have involved artists’ political views on Cuba, such as a decision to exclude the Cuban reggaeton duo Gente de Zona from a New Year’s Eve show in 2019.
Saturday’s fesitval in Little Haiti is being produced by Purforce Group, which posted a video on Facebook last weekend that featured Martelly carrying a Haitian flag and touting the event.
“It’s going to be a beautiful party,” the former president says. “I’m waiting on you.”
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