How Good Intentions Can Fuel the Spread of Misinformation
A story went viral online about the Haitian community in Brooklyn fighting back against ICE…but it wasn’t true.
A little over a week ago, my TikTok feed was full of videos of people talking about Haitian people in Brooklyn, fighting back against ICE. I enjoyed one of the snippets so much that I included it in a round up that I posted on my own Instagram and Tiktok pages. But a few days went by and, for some reason, I couldn’t shake the fact that although I had come across clip after clip of people providing commentary about Haitian people fighting back against ICE, I couldn’t find the actual video of it happening.
So, like any good culture scholar procrastinating on her dissertation, I did some digging.
Into the Discourse
After a bit of searching, I found what appears to be the post that started it all—and it now has approximately 4 millions views. The video, shared by TikTok user @Colby_Bastien, is just over a minute long and features the text “Haitian pa pè ICE” (Haitians aren’t afraid of ICE) with “Haitians vs ICE” written beneath it. The video starts off with a tense exchange. A man wearing a denim bucket hat speaks pointedly to another man dressed in a blue City of New York Police Department uniform. As the presumed police officer places his hand on his holster, the other man pulls off his bucket hat in disbelief and says in Creole (from what I can make out), “Don’t do that. Oh! We are family. I’m Haitian!”
As the clip continues, the crowd shifts and the people move on. The heated moment is replaced with people dancing and singing, shuffling along as they wave Haitian flags in merriment. This wasn’t a video of Haitian people fighting back against ICE but of a well attended block party. How did this 63-second snippet usher in the spread of misinformation? I’ve created a timeline based on my findings.
Timeline
May 18, 2025: The annual Haitian Flag Day festival takes place in Brooklyn’s Little Haiti neighborhood. You can also see the flyer promoting the event here on Brooklyn’s Community Board 14 website. (Follow me, it all comes together in the end. I promise.)
May 19, 2025: Haitian diaspora page L’union Suite posts a recap about the Haitian Flag Day Festival. Pay special attention to Slide 6 which features 3 people at the top of the collage. There is a man in the center wearing a long sleeve black and gold sweatshirt and large wooden bead necklace. A woman to his left wears a yellow head wrap and white sunglasses, while a young woman to his right has headphones around her neck and long locs.
Attendees at the Haitian Flag Day Festival shared to L’Union Suite’s Instagram on May 19, 2025 June 28, 2025: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminates Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian people in the United States, putting nearly 500,000 Haitians at risk of deportation.
July 2, 2025: A federal judge in Brooklyn blocks DHS’s early termination of TPS for Haitian people.
July 3, 2025: A day after the termination of TPS is blocked, user @Colby_Bastien shares his video on TikTok. Who do we see in the background of the first 10 seconds of the video? The three people that L’union Suite shared in their recap of the Haitian Flag Day festival.
There you have it. The viral video wasn’t of Haitian immigrants fighting back against ICE. It was from the Haitian Flag Day Festival in Little Haiti, Brooklyn that took place back in May of this year. Sharing the video shortly after the termination of TPS was blocked—combined with the text over the clip, Haitian pa pè ICE” [Haitians aren’t afraid of ICE] and “Haitians vs ICE”—created the perfect environment for misinformation to thrive.
Let’s Talk Implications
Now, to be clear, I don’t say any of this to cast blame on anyone. It would be very hypocritical of me to do so, especially since I also shared the clip that resonated with me. Instead, I mention all of this to demonstrate how easy it is to unintentionally spread misinformation online, even when the intent is to show solidarity. Critically engaging with the media that we consume requires us to think about how we may sometimes contribute to the dumpster fire that is online discourse.
The Good
I can only presume that so many of us mistakenly shared this inaccurate story about the Haitian community in Brooklyn fighting back against ICE to illustrate that Haitian people are resilient and will not take mistreatment or oppression, especially given Haiti’s history as the first Black republic to fight for and gain its independence in 1804. It also serves as inspiration, giving other groups hope that they too could resist the inhumane treatment being inflicted against their communities.
The Bad
On the other hand, what does it say about us as online users that while the first 10 seconds of the video admittedly depicts a tense moment, the majority of the clip shows Haitian people in celebration…yet it somehow registered as fighting? If those of us in solidarity have confounded Black people’s happiness as fighting back, what might people with less honorable intentions say when confronted with our expressions of joy? It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine some trigger-happy official claiming that loud singing and dancing had her “scared” for her life.
The Personal ABC’s of Combating Misinformation
As the great Maya Angelou once said, “when you know better, do better.” For that reason, I’m using this moment to do just that. I’ve put together three very simple steps that we can all follow to help reduce the amount of misinformation that we share online.
A MOMENT: A quick pause before sharing goes a long way. If you see someone sharing commentary without the original source included, tread carefully.
BIAS BLOCKER: It’s very easy to repeat or share something, especially when it reinforces our own beliefs. Take the time to confirm what you’re giving your personal stamp of approval.
CROSS REFERENCE: Look up the source of the commentary yourself. Cross-reference across multiple reputable sources and remember, sometimes, even the most well-known platforms have shared inaccurate information from time to time.
Into the World
While I’m grateful to be able to get into the discourse online, it’s also important that I do my part to take things offline when I can. (Get it? Into the Discourse, Into the World? Thank you, thank you. Hold the applause).
Since this week’s post is about the Haitian community, I decided to join Hope for Haiti’s seventh annual Hike for Haiti Challenge on July 12th to help raise money for students in Mare à Coiffe. Some of the people in attendance included Naomy Grand’Pierre (the first female swimmer to represent Haiti at the Olympic Games), event organizer Mickaela B, and Hope for Haiti CEO Skyler Badenoch. Haiti’s first male diver Beau Amprey was also there too! I had a great time being in community and I made some friends while I was there (shout out to Janelle and Corinne). I’m really looking forward to participating in more events like this in the future.
If you want your time online to make some offline impact, consider donating to Hope for Haiti. I also recommend donating or volunteering with The Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit organization that has been at the forefront of centering immigration as a Black issue while building solidarity with other communities.
Until next time!