Now, the people are taking action and a wave of brutal vigilante justice is roiling Haiti, concentrated in this capital of about 1 million. The vigilantes close off neighborhoods. They stone and often chop the limbs of suspected gangsters, behead them and set them afire, sometimes while they are still alive.

Prince, the largest neighborhood in Haiti’s capital, is facing a dire situation as access is blocked by old cars, used tires, and barbed wire. Armed gang members have been terrorizing the area, committing robberies,

Civilians have killed at least 160 gang members in Haiti, a human rights group says. Residents say they feel safer, but others worry that it will lead to even more violence.

A growing number of Haitians who are angry, tired and afraid of gangs burning down neighborhoods and killing innocent people are striking back. They are hunting down suspected gang members with machetes and rocks,