The notoriously violent armed street gang 400 Mawozo kidnapped 17 members of a foreign Christian missionary group outside the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince on October 16. The 17 missionaries, 16 of whom are Americans and five of whom are children, were abducted while visiting an orphanage in a suburb of the capital city, Croix-de-Bouquet. The abductees, who were working with the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, are being held hostage by the gang for a ransom of 17 million dollars, equivalent to 1 million dollars per person. Soon after, the kidnappers released a video threatening the lives of the hostages. Even to Haiti, a country accustomed to brazen kidnappings and violence, this came as a shock. Gangs rarely kidnap foreigners, especially Americans, and the gang acted with no fear of governmental intervention. 400 Mawozo is one of many increasingly powerful gangs that control huge swaths of the Haitian capital. Their attacks and kidnappings are quickly becoming more brazen and violent as Haiti falls deeper into disarray. The western hemisphere’s poorest nation has recently dealt with a deadly earthquake, hurricane, and the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. With no effective government, a power vacuum has opened in Haiti, often with gangs filling the empty space. Many wonder what will happen next in a country where violent change is the only constant.