Hundreds of thousands fill streets of Puerto Rico

[seemslikeadream]

Hundreds of thousands fill streets of Puerto Rico as governor refuses to resign
Ursula Perano
5 hours ago

Protestors in Puerot Rico
An aerial view from a drone shows thousands of people as they fill the Expreso Las Américas highway calling for the ouster of Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans filled the streets of San Juan Monday demanding the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, who said on Sunday that he would not step down even as his government has become engulfed in scandal.

Catch up quick: Leaked text messages revealed Rosselló and members of his inner circles making sexist and homophobic comments and mocking victims of Hurricane Maria, a disaster that killed thousands and caused the longest electrical blackout in U.S. history. The leak came just days after a separate incident, in which the FBI arrested two officials from Rosselló's administration for mishandling government contracts worth millions of dollars.

On Sunday, Rosselló announced that he would resign as leader of his party and would not run for re-election next year, but refused to step down as governor before the end of his term. His concessions have not been enough for the thousands who have taken to the streets over the past two weeks.

David Begnaud

@DavidBegnaud
Wow. Puerto Rico.
You don’t get this perspective from the ground.
They are Loud.
Determined.
United.
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Details: The leak featured a range of controversial and profane comments, according to CNN.

In speaking about San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, Puerto Rico's former CFO Christian Sobrine Vega wrote, "I'm salivating to shoot her." In response, the governor said, "You'd be doing me a grand favor."
In discussing Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin's sexuality, Rosselló wrote, "Ricky Martin is such a male chauvinist that he f***ed men because women don't measure up. Pure patriarchy."
While talking about the overcrowding of morgues following Hurricane Maria, he joked, "Now that we are on the subject, don't we have some cadavers to feed our crows?"
What they're saying: A number of U.S. officials have joined calls for Rosselló to resign, both over the profane text messages and his administration's handling of Hurricane Maria.

President Trump tweeted on Monday: "A lot of bad things are happening in Puerto Rico. The Governor is under siege, the Mayor of San Juan is a despicable and incompetent person who I wouldn’t trust under any circumstance, and the United States Congress foolishly gave 92 Billion Dollars for hurricane relief, much of which was squandered away or wasted, never to be seen again. This is more than twice the amount given to Texas & Florida combined. I know the people of Puerto Rico well, and they are great. But much of their leadership is corrupt, & robbing the U.S. Government blind!"
Reality check: Congress has allocated $42.5 billion in disaster relief to Puerto Rico, not $92 billion.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also called for the governor's resignation, writing: "The people of Puerto Rico have spoken loudly and clearly for the world to hear. We must stand with la isla. Rosselló must resign."
Puerto Rican pop culture figures have joined the movement, including Ricky Martin and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. "They mocked our dead, they mocked women, they mocked the LGBT community, they made fun of people with physical and mental disabilities, they made fun of obesity," Miranda tweeted."It’s enough. This cannot be."
https://www.axios.com/puerto-rico-prote ... b3a25.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_NM090vSuQ

[seemslikeadream]

Embattled Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigns amid public outcry

"Ricky, te botamos!" ("Ricky, we threw you out!") the jubilant crowd exclaimed after the governor's announcement.

July 24, 2019, 10:53 PM CDT / Updated July 24, 2019, 11:13 PM CDT
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced his resignation Wednesday days after demonstrators at the island's largest protest in recent history called for his ouster over a scandal involving leaked private chats as well as corruption investigations and arrests.

Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello announces his resignation effective August 2 via television on July 24, 2019.La Fortaleza de PR
His resignation, effective Aug. 2, came late Wednesday night on a recorded video published on Facebook. In the message, he touted what he considered accomplishments of his tenure, saying he fought corruption and made strides for different communities.

"My only North Star has been the well-being of my island," he said.

Crowds in the streets, which for nearly two weeks had been calling for the governor to step down, immediately erupted in joyous chants, cheering "Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico!"

"Ricky, te botamos!" ("Ricky, we threw you out!") the jubilant crowd exclaimed after the governor's announcement.

Demonstrators chant slogans as they wave Puerto Rican flags during ongoing protests calling for the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rossello in San Juan, Puerto Rico July 24, 2019.Marco Bello / Reuters
"After the birth of my son, this is the happiest day of my life," said René Pérez Joglar, also known as Residente. The acclaimed Puerto Rican reggaeton star was among the artists who had galvanized the island in rallies that were unprecedented in their scope.

Rosselló is the U.S. commonwealth's first governor to resign.

In his recorded message, he urged people to stay orderly. "What I wish most is peace and progress for my people," he said.

The news came after three attorneys commissioned by the president of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives, Carlos Méndez Núñez, unanimously found five offenses that constituted grounds for impeachment.

In the report that was leaked to the press, the attorneys found Rosselló committed four serious offenses and one misdemeanor, including illicitly using public resources and services for partisan purposes, as well as allowing government officials and contractors to misuse public funds and time for non-government work.

Méndez had announced he had convened a meeting for Thursday afternoon to begin the impeachment process.

Rosselló's announcement came after a day of mounting frustration as reporters gathered to wait in front of the governor's mansion for the anticipated announcement as thousands of people gathered nearby in Old San Juan chanting, "Ricky, Renuncia!" ("Ricky, Resign!")

Protesters demonstrate near a police barricade on a street leading to the governor's mansion as expectations remained high that Gov. Ricardo Rossell? would step down on July 24, 2019 in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Protesters are demanding that the governor step down after a group chat was exposed that included misogynistic and homophobic comments allegedly made between Rossell? and top aides.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Reports of Rosselló's planned resignation had broken Tuesday, a few hours after NBC News and Telemundo, both owned by NBC Universal, reported that the island's Justice Department had issued search warrants to confiscate the cellphones of several people who took part in the private chats.

Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have been protesting for 12 consecutive days, demanding Rosselló's ouster. Protests continued to grow on the island after Rosselló announced Sunday that he wouldn't run for re-election and that he would step down from the leadership of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party.

On Monday, more than a half-million people paralyzed metropolitan San Juan in protest, marching across one of the main highways despite heavy rain in a "March of the People" that ended late in the night as police fired tear gas canisters.

The protests were triggered by the leaking of 889 pages of private chats between Rosselló and some of his current and former officials, as well as close associates.

The leaked chats on the messaging app Telegram rocked the public for their profane, misogynistic and homophobic comments against public officials, celebrities and ordinary islanders, as well as their cynicism on topics that included the deaths following Hurricane Maria in 2017. The chats also revealed the administration's efforts to smear and bring down political opponents.

The leaked messages resulted in the opening of local and federal probes, which came on top of recent arrests of former officials and government contractors on charges that include alleged fraud involving federal funding. Investigators are looking into possible wrongdoing such as corruption and conflicts of interest.

By law, the island's secretary of state would succeed Rosselló, but no one has been confirmed for that position since Luis G. Rivera Marín, who was part of the chat scandal, submitted his resignation on July 13.

Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez is next in line.

"Once the resignation is official, if necessary, I will assume the historic mandate that the Constitution of Puerto Rico commends," she said in a statement.

Vázquez, who was appointed in 2017, is seen as loyal to Rosselló and the hashtag #WandaRenuncia (or "Wanda, resign") started trending on Twitter immediately after Rosselló's address ended.

Vázquez initially described the leaked chats as "incorrect" but not illegal. She later announced that she would recuse herself from any investigation because she was mentioned in the chats.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/emb ... y-n1033241