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hurricane irma
Police Fire Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets at Protesters Demanding Puerto Rico Gov. Rossello Resign
"We are rising up because we deserve better."
Jul 18, 2019
Police deployed tear gas and fired rubber bullets at protesters in Puerto Rico's capital city of San Juan late Wednesday on the fifth consecutive day of mass demonstrations to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rossello.
The Miami Herald reported from the scene as hundreds of protesters and police faced off on the colonial streets outside La Fortaleza--the governor's mansion--in the neighborhood of Old San Juan.
Some protesters threw firecrackers, bottles of water, beer, and glowsticks at the officers barricaded around the governor's home. Portions of the crowd called for others to stop inciting violence, leading chants like "No tiren" -- stop throwing--as tensions boiled over between rioters and police.
Shortly before midnight, the officers issued a warning to the crowd to disperse. Minutes later, police shot rubber bullets at the crowd, injuring protesters and journalists. The tear gas drove panicked demonstrators away from the barricades and against a nearby chapel. Some climbed the fence or pried open the gates of the iconic Parque de las Palomas.
NBC News producer Annie Rose Ramos shared videos of the confrontation on Twitter:
\u201cPolice storm over the barricades and into the crowd - throwing tear gas into the crowds as people tried to get away - some too overwhelmed from the gas they fall over in pain, rubbing their eyes #PuertoRico #PuertoRicoMarcha #RenunciaRicky\u201d— Annie Rose Ramos (@Annie Rose Ramos) 1563407459
Wednesday marked the second time this week that police used tear gas outside the governor's mansion amid growing outrage directed at Rossello, a member of Puerto Rico's New Progressive Party who is affiliated with Democrats nationally.
Despite the mounting unrest, Rossello has refused to step down. He told reporters in a news conference on Tuesday, "I have not committed any illegal acts, I only committed improper acts," and "I will continue my work and my responsibility to the people of Puerto Rico."
Calls for Rossello to resign were sparked by Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism publishing screenshots last week of sexist, homophobic, mocking, and threatening messages from a private group chat that included the governor and several of his top staffers--some of whom have left their positions this week. On Saturday, the center released the full chat thread, which spans 889 pages.
However, as Common Dreams reported Monday, "the chat was the final straw." Since Rossello took office in January of 2017, Puerto Ricans have expressed frustration with government corruption and how he has handled both the island's debt crisis and recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated the territory nearly two years ago.
\u201cPuerto Rico has had troubled governments \u201cfor as long as I remember, since I was a little girl,\u201d one protester said. \u201cI have never seen or heard of a transparent government. I haven\u2019t lived under a government that hasn\u2019t been corrupt. This is why we came.\u201d https://t.co/IUhXoWNngC\u201d— Patricia Mazzei (@Patricia Mazzei) 1563447502
The chaos outside La Fortaleza Wednesday night came after thousands of Puerto Ricans marched through the narrow streets of Old San Juan that afternoon, chanting "Ricky Renuncia," which means "Ricky Resign" in Spanish. Some of the island's famous performers--rappers Bad Bunny and Residente, singer Ricky Martin, and actor Benicio del Toro--joined the march.
\u201c#RickyMartin spoke for the people of #PuertoRico during the protests in \u201cLa Fortaleza\u201d and explained why #RicardoRosello, the governor, should resign\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7\u270a #RickyRenunciaYa [\ud83c\udfa5: @ricky_martin]\u201d— Latinx Now! (@Latinx Now!) 1563460922
\u201cMusicians @ricky_martin and Bad Bunny joined protesters in San Juan who flooded the streets calling for Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosello to resign\u201d— Reuters (@Reuters) 1563460500
"The crowd ranged from teenagers to retirees, with some waving the island's flag printed in black and gray rather than red, white, and blue to symbolize their discontent with a government they call corrupt and unresponsive to its people," according to The Associated Press. "Many older protesters went home before nightfall as chanting young people filled Old San Juan's Totem Plaza and the first few blocks leading up to the 16th century fortress where the governor resides."
\u201cThousands of protestors are calling for Puerto Rico\u2019s governor to resign. We\u2019re in San Juan for \u2066@NBCNightlyNews\u2069\u201d— Gabe Gutierrez (@Gabe Gutierrez) 1563398997
Demands for Rossello's resignation have come not only from residents of the island but also Puerto Rican communities across the mainland--with protests in California, Florida, New York, and Washington D.C.
The controversy comes as Puerto Rico is only in the second month of this year's hurricane season, which goes through the end of November, and as the island still struggles to rebuild from the devastating 2017 storms.
As 350.org's U.S. national organizer Amira Odeh--who is from Bayamon, Puerto Rico--said Wednesday in a statement supporting the demonstrations, "We are rising up because we deserve better."
Odeh criticized Rossello and "his inner circles" for having "the audacity to joke about the lives of those lost, while doing nothing to ensure our long-term recovery." As she put it: "This is unacceptable and appalling, and as Puerto Ricans, we do not stand for this behavior."
"With hurricane season already upon us, Puerto Ricans are reminded of the toll that the combined effects of colonialism, classism, corruption, environmental destruction, and disaster capitalism have on our communities," Odeh added. "We need leaders and new models of democratic governance that are dedicated to just hurricane recovery, access to health and education services, and to having our human rights and right to safety respected without hurtful austerity measures."
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To End Crushing Debt, Warren Introduces Relief Package to Help Storm-Ravaged Puerto Rico 'Recover With Dignity'
"Over the past several years, Puerto Rico has been living with an economic noose around its neck due to its crippling debt crisis and the devastation created by Hurricane Maria."
May 02, 2019
A group of Democratic Senators, led by Elizabeth Warren, are again pushing to have Puerto Rico's debt forgiven in the wake of dual hurricanes that hit the island in 2017--an announcement that came as activists from the U.S. territory were on Capitol Hill to find a solution to the island's economic woes.
The United States Territorial Relief Act of 2019, as Warren's bill is known, would offer comprehensive debt relief to the American territory. Warren was joined by fellow Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). All but Markey, Warren included, are running for the Democratic nomination for president.
"Our bill gives Puerto Rico and other struggling territories a route to comprehensive debt relief and a chance to recover with dignity," Warren said in a statement. "It's time for Congress to pass this bill."
\u201cWall Street executives see the island\u2019s desperation as just another opportunity to make a profit\u2014and it makes me sick. That\u2019s why I\u2019m re-introducing the U.S. Territorial Relief Act to provide Puerto Rico with a path to comprehensive debt relief. https://t.co/dXxIVAVw21\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1556817748
If passed, according to an overview (pdf) provided by Warren's office, the legislation would forgive the island's debt, establish a fund for those who suffer losses from the debt cancellation, and create an auditing commission on the genesis of the debt and how the crisis got so out of control.
The House version of the legislation is being introduced in the lower chamber by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.).
"Greedy Wall Street vulture funds must not be allowed to reap huge profits off the suffering and misery of the Puerto Rican people for a second longer." --Sen. Bernie Sanders
"Puerto Rico needs every tool possible to recover economically and physically from Hurricane Maria," Velazquez said.
The same cohort of senators and Velazquez introduced the legislation in 2018. It was ultimately unsuccessful.
Puerto Rico's debt issues are nothing new, as Common Dreams has reported--but things have gotten worse since the 2017 hurricanes and the only legislation in place is outdated and insufficient to address the current problems.
A 2016 bill addressing Puerto Rican debt, the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), was signed into law by former President Barack Obama before the storms hit. PROMESA came in for criticism from Sanders, and others, even before the current crisis.
"Over the past several years, Puerto Rico has been living with an economic noose around its neck due to its crippling debt crisis and the devastation created by Hurricane Maria," said the Hispanic Foundation's president Jose Calderon in a statement supporting Warren's bill.
Puerto Rican activists confronted members of the island's Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) about the predatory practices encouraged by PROMESA on Thursday. They were successful in convincing FOMB to take legal action against banks that profited off of Puerto Rican debt illegally.
\u201cThe @FOMBPR has not helped #PuertoRico recover. It has sided with bondholders at the expense of our people. Its time for congress to hold them accountable. #cancelthedebt @popdemoc @Vamos4PR @diasporaresiste\u201d— CASA (@CASA) 1556802021
Jesus Gonzalez, an organizer with the Center For Popular Democracy, pointed out in a statement that tougher action on predatory creditors would not have happened without "Puerto Rican families on the island and of the diaspora who have fought tirelessly for a just recovery," he said more still needed to be done.
"While the FOMB has decided to pursue legal action," Gonzalez said, "there is much information we still need to analyze to ensure that proper action is taken against every single person who profited from the illegal debt."
Sanders, in a statement, took aim at the banks and hedge funds that used the debt to make billions of dollars.
"Greedy Wall Street vulture funds must not be allowed to reap huge profits off the suffering and misery of the Puerto Rican people for a second longer," said Sanders.
The debt also created an impossible situation for Puerto Ricans struggling to recover after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, said Hispanic Foundation's Calderon.
"Over the past several years, Puerto Rico has been living with an economic noose around its neck due to its crippling debt crisis and the devastation created by Hurricane Maria," Calderon said. "The island government simply does not have the means to pay off its debt and prioritize the well-being of its people."
Warren echoed Calderon's callback to the difficulties faced by Puerto Ricans in their long pursuit of financial justice.
"Puerto Rican families were watching debt crush their futures long before Hurricane Maria hit," said Warren, "and this administration has failed in its response."
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Speaking in Puerto Rico, Warren Says, 'With Trump, Cruelty Not an Accident' But 'Part of the Plan'
Puerto Rico, says Massachusetts senator, is "a clear example of how well the federal government works for Wall Street" but not for everyone else
Jan 22, 2019
On the heels of a new study showing the federal government gave short shrift to Puerto Rico relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday delivered a speech on the island in which she blasted the Trump administration for its lack of respect and "cruelty" towards the Puerto Rican people.
The purpose of her talk, said Warren, who recently announced a potential 2020 presidential bid, was "to talk about the dignity and respect this island deserves from our government--and the cruelty that it has been inflicted upon."
It was 16 months ago that Hurricanes Irma and Maria battered the island, she said, yet still "the people of Puerto Rico have not received the help they need to rebuild."
Echoing other observers, Warren noted that "these storms were piled on top of a much longer-running economic devastation of Puerto Rico," and called it "a clear example of how well the federal government works for Wall Street" but not for suffering people who need it most.
She noted for example, the "vulture funds" holding the majority of the island's debt, leaving Puerto Ricans "at the mercy of Wall Street corporate executives who are focused on squeezing out every last penny of profit from this island." She also citicized the fiscal oversight board, which has been slashing "basic government services throughout the island, while generously helping out the Wall Street firms that hold your debt."
Those indignities began before the current administration--she noted the U.S. military's still-toxic caused environmental damage on Vieques. "The legacy of colonialism dies hard," Warren said. Fingering the White House's current inhabitant, she chastized President Donald Trump for blocking nutritional assistance and using his "shutdown as an excuse to delay paying out disaster recovery funds to Puerto Rico."
"Even now, even after the Trump administration has denied how many died and has dragged its feet on sending adequate disaster relief funds, the president of the United States has doubled down on the insult by toying with the idea of diverting your recovery funds to build a wall," she added, calling the barrier "dumb."
"With Trump, cruelty is not an accident," Warren said, "it is part of the plan."
Warren also appeared on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" on Tuesday, and reiterated the themes from her earlier talk:
\u201cRight here in Puerto Rico, our federal government is taking money off the island in order to send it to Wall Street \u2013 and cut services, health care services & schools. I talked about this & more on @AC360 last night. Watch our interview.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1548266856
In her San Juan talk, Warren outlined a number of steps to address the cruelty, including giving islanders self-determination in its association with the U.S.; strengthening unions; protecting the island "from pollution and the threats of climate change"; enacting real debt relief; creating a "Marshall Plan" for the island to rebuild; and expanding the safety net including full Medicaid funding.
She also reiterated her call for a 9/11-style commission to probe the federal government's response to the hurricanes, and said accountability for the disaster needs to include getting rid of FEMA Administrator Brock Long, whom she accused of enabling "negligence."
A new analysis may help fuel her call for that probe. Published Friday in the journal BMJ Global Health, researchers found that the government's response to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico was slower and less financially generous than its response to Hurricanes Irma and Harvey in Florida and Texas.
Storm severity can't be the explanation, the study noted, as "Hurricanes Harvey and Irma made landfall as category four hurricanes, and Maria hit Puerto Rico as a 'high-end' category 4, or just below the threshold of a category 5 hurricane. Maria caused more damage in Puerto Rico than Irma in Florida or Harvey in Texas in terms of loss of electricity and housing destruction, with overall damage estimates comparable to Harvey, and greater than estimates for Irma."
Regardless of any possible justified barriers to response time, the researchers said "what cannot be contested is that the responses were in fact different across critical time points, and these differences have serious consequences for acute and long-term health outcomes and recovery efforts."
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