For the tenth straight night, protests against Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo A. Rosselló have continued with an estimated 500,000 residents of the U.S. territory coming together to demand Rosselló’s resignation.
The New York Times reports that “hundreds of thousands of people swept through the capital of Puerto Rico on Monday, shutting down a major highway and paralyzing much of the city.”
After years of mounting frustrations due to recession and austerity measures, plus a slow moving recovery after Hurricane Maria, it appears the island territory was a powder keg waiting to ignite. The news of hundreds of mocking homophobic/sexist text messages between Rosselló and his advisors, appearing as a kind of ‘bro’ culture, looks to have been the tipping point.
Buses full of protesters streamed into San Juan, the territory’s capital, as well as planes arriving from the mainland.
International pop star Ricky Martin, who was the target of some of the homophobic and sexist text messages, has been on the ground in San Juan helping to lead the protests.
Ricky Martin protesting in Puerto Rico and showing the world what democracy looks like! 🏳️🌈🇵🇷https://t.co/sCSzAyeyxC
— Ryan Knight ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) July 22, 2019
Qué orgulloso me siento de ser puertorriqueño. Qué fuerza sentí de parte de mi gente. Seguimos en la lucha hasta que @ricardorossello no gobierne mas. #resistencia 📷: @worldjunkies , @usamahamid pic.twitter.com/xZLAtL2snV
— Ricky Martin (@ricky_martin) July 23, 2019
While the weather sometimes made for wet moments, Puerto Ricans weren’t deterred from carrying banners, banging on pots, and marching for miles along the main highway chanting, “Ricky, renuncia, el pueblo te repudia!” — “Ricky, resign, the people reject you.”
On Sunday, Rosselló pledged he would not seek re-election in 2020 and announced he would step down as leader of his political party. But those promises didn’t appear to assuage his constituents as calls for immediate resignation continued.
The governor and 11 associates have been served search warrants ordering their cell phones be surrendered as part of an investigation into the text messages scandal, reports out CBS journalist David Begnaud.
BREAKING: Puerto Rico’s Governor, and 11 others, have been served with a search warrant ordering their cell phones be surrendered as part of an investigation – being done by the islands dept of justice – into the Telegram chat scandal, AKA: #RickyChats pic.twitter.com/kb8bhetnDO
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) July 23, 2019
Begnaud also reports that much of the protest is being led by young people aged 14 to 30.
I have never cover a moment/protest where so many young people – 14 to 30 – are out on the streets of Puerto Rico, nightly, pushing for change at the top of their government. It’s really something to witness.
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) July 23, 2019
Wow. Puerto Rico.
You don’t get this perspective from the ground.
They are Loud.
Determined.
United. pic.twitter.com/3JMmbc8NY2— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) July 22, 2019
Fox News anchor Shepard Smith spoke with the governor Monday and asked him who in Puerto Rico still supports him. The governor was pretty much at a loss to come up with a name.
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló struggles mightily when Shep Smith presses him to come up with one single person who currently supports him.
"Can you give me one name? Just one name?"
Rossello finally names a single mayor. pic.twitter.com/ig4TCCOjuV
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 22, 2019
