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Puerto Rico

Popular Uprising and the Fight for Independence in Puerto Rico

The massive protests that have rocked Puerto Rico are about more than Governor Rosselló. They are the product of a rising anger against decades of colonial rule and neoliberal disorder. 

Outpouring of Rage Hits Streets of Puerto Rico

Facing down tear gas and police, thousands of people took to the streets for three consecutive days in Puerto Rico, demanding the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rossello. 

Jimena Vergara

July 16, 2019

Hurricane Maria Death Count over 5,000–not 64, New Study Finds

A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine estimates the number of deaths caused directly or indirectly by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico at over five thousand.

Juan Cruz Ferre

May 30, 2018

Disaster Colonialism in Puerto Rico

More than seven months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans are still reeling — not only from the power outages and water shortages caused by the storm but also from the ruthless austerity measures imposed the U.S. Government. However, the people of the island are beginning to organize, fight back and determine their vision for a new Puerto Rico.

Héctor Reyes

April 21, 2018

Storms, Colonial Chains, and US Cruelty

The condition of the infrastructure on the island is the product not only of the economic crisis that Puerto Rico has been trapped in for more than a decade, but even more so of the criminal conduct of the US.

Héctor Reyes

October 4, 2017

Puerto Rico: Drowning in Debt While Capitalists Swim in Profits

In an interview with Left Voice, Francisco J. Fortuño Bernier describes on-the-ground organizing and conditions in Puerto Rico, considering the political implications of disaster capitalism’s greed, U.S. imperialist neglect, and the devastation wrought by two destructive hurricanes.

Irma Hits Puerto Rico

The path of recovery in the aftermath of Irma, in the context of unresolved economic crisis on the island.

Héctor Reyes

September 8, 2017

A New Dangerous Stage of the Colonial Plunder of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is facing its most severe crisis since it was militarily captured and turned into a colony by the U.S. in 1898. The Island has been in economic recession for more than a decade, compelling more than half a million people to emigrate. The colonial project upheld by the U.S. since the 1950s has exhausted over the past 30 years of neoliberal ravages.

Héctor Reyes

May 25, 2017

Puerto Rico: Debt, Crisis and Colonialism

On July 1, Obama passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) and the Puerto Rican government virtually defaulted on the nearly $2 billion in bond payments due the same day.

Eduardo Molina

September 6, 2016