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Puerto Rico

Wall Street Demands “Discipline” As Protests Continue In Puerto Rico

Hours after Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s early Thursday morning announcement that he will resign on August 2nd, thousands demonstrated in downtown San Juan demanding the resignation of his successor, Justice Minister Wanda Vázquez Garced. Both Rosselló and Vázquez are members of the New Progressive Party (PNP) and the Democratic Party. #WandaRenuncia quickly became one of the most popular Twitter hashtags while homemade signs Thursday featured the slogans, “this has not finished” and “we are cleaning the whole house.”

End Colonialism, Support Self-Determination, Correct Historical Wrongs

The results of centuries of US empire, which began with Manifest Destiny that crossed the North American continent and grew into a global empire, are coming home to roost in Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Puerto Ricans had an important victory last week with the resignation of Governor  Ricardo Rosselló after more than one million people protested to demand his removal. This was a powerful display of people power, but changing the head of state does not confront the real issues for Puerto Rico: ending colonialism and ensuring self-determination. There is confusion after Rosselló's resignation. The next in line has already resigned and Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez, who is in line after that, does not want the job.

Protests In Puerto Rico Are About Life And Death

Police donning anti-riot gear—many with their names and badge numbers covered—used teargas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and batons to dislodge protesters from the streets surrounding the Puerto Rican governor’s mansion in Old San Juan on Wednesday evening. Earlier that day, tens of thousands assembled at the Capitol building before marching to the governor’s mansion to demand the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló. This marked the fifth day of protests and a significant escalation in police violence against civilians. A series of leaked chat conversations involving the governor and other members of his inner-circle provided an unlikely spark that ignited mounting frustrations with the abuses of local elites and the colonial government. 

Rosselló Is Gone, Now “La Junta” Must Go! — Interview With Eduardo Rosario

You cannot divorce the Rosselló administration from the reality of the colonial relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States, a relationship best exemplified by the austerity measures imposed by PROMESA and La Junta in the name of repaying Puerto Rico’s official $72 billion debt owed to the U.S. financial institutions. In fact the debt is actually greater than $72 billion; when you include the unfunded liabilities of everyone’s pension raises it is more like $140 billion.

Rosselló’s Gone, But Puerto Rico’s Fight Against Police Repression Continues

On Monday night, protesters were gathered outside of the governor’s mansion in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, as they had been for more than a week, in order to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Although the protesters had been demonstrating in a peaceful manner all evening, around 10 pm, the police suddenly announced that a few protesters had become “aggressive” and then used their own claims as a pretext for a brutal crackdown. The police told members of the crowd that they had 10 minutes to evacuate before the police would start firing tear gas and forcibly removing protesters.

The Puerto Rican People And Their Combative Spirit

Current events in Puerto Rico are clear evidence that when people are challenged beyond the limits of their patience they just explode, leading to the possibility of unpredictable consequences. Yesterday Demonstrations totaled about a million people crowding not only the streets of the capital of San Juan but every large and small town in the Caribbean country. Governor Ricardo Rosello’s role in the stealing of funds from schools and healthcare and his outrageous chats demeaning and mocking the suffering of the Puerto Rico population was this moment’s spark...

Colonialism Is What’s Wrong With Puerto Rico

Progressive Puerto Ricans hope the mass protests that have rocked the colonized island will result in more than just the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosello, said Daniel Vila, a veteran New York City activist. Some progressives ultimately want to force creation of a “government of national salvation,” encompassing all of Puerto Rico’s political tendencies. Others seek a constitutional convention to end the colonial relationship with the US.

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

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

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

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...

Rising Resistance And Solidarity In The Americas

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Sandanista Revolution in Nicaragua. Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated in the streets of Managua Friday night. This past week, mass protests erupted in Puerto Rico over long term corruption and subversion of democracy. A general strike is planned for Monday. This week is the 25th Sao Paulo Forum, a meeting of left political parties and social movements, in Caracas, Venezuela. We participated in a Sao Paulo Forum of Washington, DC in preparation for the upcoming meeting. A delegation of Venezuelan Embassy Protectors is traveling to Caracas to participate in it. Latin America has a long history of resistance to US domination and solidarity with social movements in the United States. This resistance and solidarity is critical to our success in the United States if we are to stop the machine and create a new world.

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

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

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

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 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.
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