Cité Soleil, the location where the assault occurred, was largely governed by Aristide-backed gangs affiliated with Fanmi Lavalas who monitored visitors via two roads that accessed the slum.
The Fanmi Lavalas affiliated gangs, of which Wilmer was a leader, and the anti-Aristide paramilitary groups began to scale up violence in response to the government of the new interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.
The territory of the anti-Aristide paramilitary groups was located in a section of Cité Soleil known as Boston, backed by a leader known as Labaniere.
Thomas Robenson, aka Labaniere, was formerly a member of the Aristide-Lavalas party, but joined the private forces in protecting commercial zones following the February transfer of power.
On October 17, 2005, a few months after Wilmer's death, the people of Cité Soleil renamed a section of Route 9 as "Dread Wilme Boulevard".