U.N. Peacekeepers Confront Crowd in Haiti

With word spreading far and wide across Port-au-Prince that there are jobs and food at the airport - a flood of able-bodied men and women showed up by the hundreds.

"We are not troublemaker. We need some job, you understand," one man told CBS News national correspondent Byron Pitts.

A U.S. Army Captain called this "controlled chaos." Military and police forces from around the world who speak different languages are working to maintain order. Late Monday morning that "chaos" turned to confrontation.

Complete Coverage: Devastation in Haiti

U.N. peace keepers were given orders to clear the street. They did so with force. Unable to speak the native language Creole or even English, the Jordanian... Pakistani and Indian forces mostly did their talking with nightsticks and rubber bullets. No one was seriously injured. But tensions are building.

The American soldiers on hand - members of the 82nd Airborne - showed restraint. Their helmets were off and their guns were intentionally unloaded.

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"It seems like you guys are showing great restraint, while some of you colleagues, aren't," Pitts said.

"We all have our different methods and styles in which we control situations," said Sgt. Mike Ames, U.S. Army. "We're here to help them, not to push them around."

[Lisa_Rinewalt]

"We all have our different methods and styles in which we control situations," said Sgt. Mike Ames, U.S. Army. "We're here to help them, not to push them around."


WTG, SGT. MIKE AMES, A WONDERFUL AND TRUE STATEMENT, FORCES OF OTHERS I PRAY DO NOT GET ANY US PEOPLE HURT, WHO ARE THERE TO HELP THOSE IN DIRE NEED. :( THE USA GET'S IT, WHY CAN'T THE OTHERS IN THE WORLD?

[Lisa_Rinewalt]

U.N. peace keepers were given orders to clear the street. They did so with force.

Where are they clearing them too? lol

I mean don't they live in the streets? They have no homes, this by force thing is going to make the turn out very ugly I bet. :( This is a mess and EPIC FAIL.


Lisa Rinewalt

[Treadlightly2]

The Haitians know where the supplies are. Sitting at the airport. Suppose they got the idea that the only way they are going to live is to take those supplies by force? A firm hand is needed to avoid that happening. I have my doubts that all those people were there looking for jobs.