Puerto Rico

Puerto Ricans’ Revolt Is Deeper Than The Governor’s Chats

July 23, 2019 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, Clearing the FOG. Podcast Corruption, Debt, Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico

Puerto Ricans have suffered over the past several years from deep debt, a faltering economy and the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Struggling to hold on, the final straw came when hundreds of chats between the Governor and other officials were published showing their blatant disregard for the living and the thousands who died after Maria. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have mobilized to demand the Governor's resignation. We speak with Natasha Bannan, a lawyer who lives in Puerto Rico and is active in the protests about the corruption and subversion of democracy behind this mass uprising, what the people want and how activists can support Puerto Ricans.

‘The People Have Spoken’: Estimated 400,000 Puerto Ricans Flood Streets To Demand Rosselló Resign Immediately

July 23, 2019 By Jake Johnson, Commondreams.org Resist! Class Struggle, Corruption, Protests, Puerto Rico

Hours after Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resisted calls to step down over messages mocking victims of Hurricane Maria and attacking fellow politicians with misogynistic slurs, an estimated 400,000 Puerto Ricans took to the streets Monday and demanded Rosselló's resignation in what was described as one of the largest protests in the island's history. "The people have spoken," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), whose mother was born in Puerto Rico, tweeted in response to video footage of Puerto Ricans flooding miles of the Las Américas highway.

Puerto Rico Revolts Against Corruption And Austerity

July 22, 2019 José Hernandez, Marx21us.org Resist! Austerity, Class Struggle, Corruption, Protests, Puerto Rico

As of this writing, the people of Puerto Rico have been protesting for seven days straight on the streets of San Juan, and in ever growing numbers. The fury unleashed by the scandals exposing the corruption and political intrigue of the governor Ricardo Rosselló shows no signs of abating. Adding to that, was the total mismanagement of the recovery following in the wake of Hurricane Maria. A combination of colonialism, the racism of the Trump administration, the neoliberal agenda of the Financial Oversight and Management Board (aka “la Junta”), and the incompetence of Rosselló’s administration...

Puerto Rico Is Not About A Chat Log But Five Centuries Of Imperialism

July 20, 2019 By Miguel A. Cruz-Diaz, Counterpunch Resist! Imperialism, Independence, Puerto Rico

Puerto Ricans have long accepted the imposed opinion, first by the Spaniards and then by the Americans, that they were a peaceful people who abhorred violent confrontation and welcomed authority. It played well during the Cold War, but after Hurricane María Puerto Ricans discovered something about themselves: that they could do anything. Left to rot, they rediscovered community and strength through unity. They realized that, perhaps, the Americans really did not give a damn about them after all. And while they tried to bury that realization behind a comfortable masquerade of normality, it never worked. The spell was broken. The arrests proved that they were indeed living a lie, and the revelations of that Telegram chat proved to be too much. This rage, this new reality, has proven that the Puerto Rican will is strong, fiery, and founded on resistance, and resistance breeds determination. Determination breeds bravery. And when a population that has been crushed for centuries discovers its inner bravery, well, that’s when history is made.

Protests Demanding The Resignation Of Governor Continue In Puerto Rico

July 20, 2019 Rafael Azul , WSWS Resist! Puerto Rico

Friday marked the seventh consecutive day of protests in Puerto Rico demanding the resignation of Governor Ricardo Roselló. Demonstrators began assembling in the early afternoon outside the governor’s mansion, known as the “Fortress,” and continued protesting until well into the night. The eruption of mass protests involving at least 100,000 people thus far was sparked by the publication last week of hundreds of pages of internet chats between Roselló and top officials in the Democratic Party-aligned administration dating back to the end of 2018. The messages exposed their contempt for the working population and indifference to the continued suffering of millions on the island nearly two years after Hurricane Maria.

Uncertainty In Puerto Rico After Protests Against Corrupt Governor

July 19, 2019 Staff, Resumen-english.org Resist! Class Struggle, Corruption, Government, Protests, Puerto Rico

Unrest prevails in Puerto Rico following long days of protests against Governor Ricardo Rosello, whose resignation is being demanded by the population. A third day of mass demonstrations intensified calling for his immediate resignation and extended into Tuesday morning, this time marked by violence after the police tear-gassed protestors. A group of young people responded by burning waste containers in the streets of the city, while several buildings were painted with messages urging Rosello to leave the post.

Puerto Rico Police Clash With Protesters Over Rossello Scandal

July 17, 2019 By Nicholas Sakelaris, Upi.com Resist! Corruption, Police, Protests, Puerto Rico, Repression

July 16 (UPI) -- Puerto Rican police clashed with demonstrators late Monday over Gov. Ricardo Rossello's refusal to give up power, in the wake of a leaked chat log that's tainted his administration. Officers used tear gas and pepper spray to control thousands of protesters in front of Rossello's San Juan home. Rossello is facing growing calls to resign after leaked messages showed what critics say are misogynistic, profane and homophobic comments against women and political opponents.

Puerto Ricans Are Resisting Policing As A Solution To Crisis

April 25, 2019 Anton Woronczuk, Truthout.org Resist! Police, Puerto Rico, State Violence

In Policing Life and Death: Race, Violence, and Resistance in Puerto Rico, author Marisol LeBrón shows how Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship with the U.S. has shaped policing in the archipelago as a form of “colonial crisis management.” Her new book exposes the ways policing harms marginalized communities and deepens social inequality. In this interview, LeBrón discusses the legacy of punitive “solutions” and the various ways Puerto Ricans are challenging state violence and building alternative forms of justice.

US Senate Fails To Restore Food Assistance For Puerto Rico

April 10, 2019 Julio Patron, Wsws.org Educate! Food and Agriculture, Puerto Rico, Senate

Since a factional battle broke out between Democratic and Republican parties last weekend, the US Senate has failed to pass a disaster relief bill that allocates federal money to recovery projects in all areas of the country recently affected by fires, floods, tropical storms and other natural disasters. The failure to approve this funding has left more than a million Puerto Ricans with drastically-reduced food stamp payments, one year and seven months after Hurricanes Maria and Irma struck the US territory.

Puerto Rico Faces A Flood Of Fracked Gas In Wake Of Hurricane Maria

March 30, 2019 Dimitri Lascaris, Therealnews.com Educate! Fracking, Natural Disasters, Puerto Rico

This is Dimitri Lascars reporting for The Real News Network. Media have descended on Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria devastated the island a year and a half ago, and many reported on its struggle to rebuild its energy grid. But behind the scenes, some policymakers and fossil fuel industry leaders are using the crisis to transform Puerto Rico into a hub for liquefied natural gas–gas obtained from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the mainland United States.

Puerto Rico’s Demand For Independence More Alive Than Ever

March 19, 2019 Nuria Barbosa León, En.granma.cu Create! Nationalism, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s demand for independence was reaffirmed by the patriot Oscar López Rivera recently, insisting that this is the inalterable demand of the island’s people. In statements to Granma International, he noted that the only path forward for his homeland is independence, and an end to the U.S. protectorate. He cited, as another other important issue in the struggle, the elimination of Puerto Rico’s exorbitant foreign debt, which according to Wall Street has reached 73 billion dollars, and for which the island’s people bear no responsibility, he said. López Rivera recalled that the Caribbean nation does not have its own public treasury to pay this debt, since all income generated goes straight to the United States, given its status as the reigning colonial power.

Caguas, Puerto Rico: Squatter City

November 24, 2018 Erin Sheridan, Indypendent.org Create! Housing, Puerto Rico, Uneven Development

Against a backdrop of gentrification, austerity and hurricane wreckage, these activists aren’t just rebuilding their city, they’re reimagining it. The main thoroughfare in Caguas, Puerto Rico, a city of nearly 150,000 people, remains desolate for hours at a time. Its buildings, ranging from pale pinks to bright orange and lime green, appear vacant. Many of the storefronts have boarded windows as if the shopkeepers left in a hurry and haven’t looked back. Hurricane Maria hit Caguas, 19 miles south of San Juan, with the same devastating force that met other municipalities on Puerto Rico’s eastern coast. But for locals, it was a common sentiment that life in Caguas was already careening in an unsustainable direction well before last year’s hurricanes — Irma, followed by the even more devastating Maria — were even on the radar.

Puerto Rico Tribunal Verdict: U.S. Is Guilty Of Crimes Against Humanity

October 30, 2018 Puerto Rico Tribunal. Resist! Colonialism, Human Rights, Puerto Rico, US Imperialism

New York, NY - Internationally recognized human rights activists and social movement leaders participated in the Emergency International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Colonial Crimes in Puerto Rico. The Tribunal was convened on Saturday, October 27, beginning at 9 am in New York City. The charges against the United States were leveled by prosecutor Dr. Augusto Zamora, an international lawyer from Nicaragua. He took a case on U.S. violations of Nicaraguan sovereignty to the International Court and won a judgment against the U.S. Testimony was offered in person and via recorded video messages by leading figures in the Puerto Rico independence movement and other social struggles.

Puerto Ricans Want A Clean And Just Energy Future

October 25, 2018 By Nithin Coca, Equaltimes.org Create! Energy, Puerto Rico, Water

One year after Hurricane Maria ravaged the United States territory of Puerto Rico, leaving more than 3000 dead and, at its peak, the entire island of 3.5 million residents without electricity, youth and labour activists are calling for a just energy transition that would better protect the island’s economy and energy system for future climate-related disasters. “The transition to clean energy is very important because in Puerto Rico we suffered the onslaught of Hurricane Maria, and many of the deaths were people with health issues who depended on electric machines,” says Rosalina Alvarado, a science teacher and leader of the local environmental group, PANAS.

«1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 »

Daily movement news and resources