The Lonesome Death of Daphy Michel, Part 2
After Death of Haitian Immigrant Daphy Michel, Pittsburgh Activists Build Community
From the ace reporting by Mike Elk for Payday Report:
PITTSBURGH, PA - Like any other bus shelter in Pittsburgh, I had passed by the bus stop at Smithfield & East Carson hundreds of times, never giving it a second glance. On Sunday, though, it had transformed into a shrine, decorated with candles, flowers, and photos of Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian immigrant, who was found unresponsive there on March 2nd with an electronic monitor from an ICE detention facility attached to her ankle.
In September, Daphy had been arrested in Charleroi, nearly an hour away, after she was found yelling and screaming in the street. It’s unclear what initiated her mental health crisis, but it was clear that her small Haitian community was being heavily targeted by Trump in high-profile remarks.
“The housing market is destroyed. Crime is rampant,” said Trump at a rally near Chareloi in 2024. “The jobs are taken by migrants illegally imported to our countries.”
In recent months Trump’s rhetoric against…