Jean Auguste

Jean Auguste was born 48 years ago in Arcahaie, Haiti. Jean has maintained a close
relationship with his mother and siblings in Haiti even after he migrated to the United States as a
teenager. His father sadly died a violent death when he was in the Mid-Hudson Hospital. Jean’s
journey to the United States started with his fleeing Haiti along with an Uncle on a small boat.
Picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard, he was interred on Guantanamo until a Haitian American
activist group in New York City petitioned for the young people in Guantanamo to be adopted
and fostered. Fortunately, Jean and another young Haitian were fostered by a Haitian American
Catholic Social Worker, France Paon, and her Husband. After completing high school, Jean
started out on his own, finding an apartment, a girlfriend, and becoming a taxi driver.
He was 20 + years old and was being followed by an unmarked car. Jean was afraid after
turning on his trouble light in the taxi, he thought this was someone trying to rob him, as many
taxi drivers had been robbed, even murdered, that year. Jean sped up, then could not stop in time
when a marked police car came in front of his path. The crash totally destroyed the police car,
but no one was fortunately badly hurt. Jean, however, was charged with attempted murder of a
Police officer. A subsequent trial in front of a sympathetic judge, seeing a young Haitian man
with no criminal record, resulted in a decision that Jean was not able to stand trial, and Jean was
sent to Mid-Hudson Hospital miles away from New York City. Jean was visited at Mid-Hudson
by several friends during the few years he was there. His mental hygiene legal service lawyer at
Mid-Hudson, impressed with Jean’s ability to maintain friendship in Brooklyn, worked hard to
get him transferred to Kingsboro Psychiatric Hospital, where he receives treatment to this day.
While he was in KPC, Jean acquired a number of skills such as gardening and marketing the
fruits and vegetables grown at the hospital. He also worked a year at the Brooklyn Botanical
Garden on a grant. Jean has always valued education and has participated in a number of
technical programs to improve skills such as electrical work, which he is currently studying.
Fifteen years ago, Jean was released from KPC on an “Order of Conditions.” Since then,
Jean has been working at the same hospital on a variety of maintenance jobs; he belongs to a
supportive union, is eligible for a pension upon retirement, and lives in an apartment with a
roommate in housing supported by OMH-NYS. The housing receives 30% of his salary,
including overtime pay; substantial amounts of his income go to Haiti to support family there.
Sadly, his beloved mother died near the beginning of this year. The Gangs in her area destroyed
the house that Jean built for her, so the family was forced to flee, and while fleeing, the mother
fell and hit her head, causing her to pass away. His marriage in 2018 ended in 2025 because he
could not find affordable housing in New York City. His wife and her young adult children live
in New Jersey. Despite these continuous tragedies in Jean’s life, including his wife’s
miscarriages, Jean has been able to maintain a very positive attitude towards life. He gives credit
to his faith in God for his ability to continue to strive for a better life. He is now a United States
voting citizen with a belief that conditions in this country can improve for everyone, including
people of color. In the spring of 2026, Jean was released from his “Order of Conditions” by
Judge D’Emic.