Sep 21, 2018
Marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria's devastating landfall in Puerto Rico, evacuees, activists, and families of the thousands who were killed by the storm marched on Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday to condemn President Donald Trump's grossly inadequate response to the island's crisis, mourn the victims, and demand a just recovery that puts people over profit.
"We need to ensure that we are fighting against a predatory system that sucks every bit of value from the backs of working people," New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared at a rally in Union Square Thursday night. "What we need to do is make sure profit is never more important than human dignity."
"Three thousand people died in Puerto Rico," Ocasio-Cortez added, citing a death toll that Trump has denied and attempted to discredit by lying about the source of the number. "There are thousands of deaths, and they are the result of negligence."
\u201cAlexandria @Ocasio2018 speaking at #PuertoRico rally one year after #HurricaneMaria:\n\n\u201cWe are fighting justice for our people. Thousands died and they died because of negligence.\u201d\n\nShe called for a Marshall Plan & Green plan of renewable energy. \n#OurPowerPRnyc\u201d— Samy Nemir Olivares (@Samy Nemir Olivares) 1537485296
Hurricane Maria was the "deadliest storm to hit Puerto Rico in over 100 years," and the Trump administration's refusal to respond with adequate urgency and resources has worsened the storm's already catastrophic impact, leaving thousands of Puerto Ricans homeless and without the means to get back on their feet.
"Time and again, people asked for help in getting the most basic kinds of repairs--for missing roofs, collapsed walls, dangerous mold, soaked belongings--then waited for months and often did not get enough to even start the process," the New York Timesnoted on Thursday. "Of the 1.1 million people who requested help from FEMA, about 58 percent were denied. Among those who appealed, 75 percent were rejected again. The median grant given to repair homes was $1,800, compared with about $9,127 paid out to survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas."
This vast disparity between the Trump administration's treatment of American citizens on the U.S. mainland and American citizens in Puerto Rico was at the center of attention during rallies and marches on Thursday, where activists demanded a "people-powered" recovery effort on the scale of the Marshall Plan.
\u201cTime to end the destructive patterns of extraction of land and labor- and lies to cover it all up. Truth and Solidarity and Climate Justice Now at #OurPowerPRnyc \u2066@UPROSE\u2069 \u2066@EarthEthicsCtr\u2069 \u2066@UnionSeminary\u2069\u201d— Karenna Gore (@Karenna Gore) 1537484544
\u201cPacked rally for #HurricaneMaria anniversary \n\n#OurPowerPRnyc w/ @UPROSE\u201d— Victoria Bogdan Tejeda (@Victoria Bogdan Tejeda) 1537484690
"This is what colonization does. It wants us not to love our people on the island and it tells us who live here that we have nothing to do with what's going on on the island," Puerto Rican activist Rosa Clemente declared at a New York City rally on Thursday. "But we are a people of humanity and resistance, and this fight against white supremacy is not here, it's a global fight. This system is coming fast and hard against us, so we must organize fast and hard against the system."
\u201cSister @rosaclemente speaking truth to power \u270a\ud83c\udffd\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7\n#OurPowerPRnyc #pronthemap #womensmarchnyc\u201d— nayisha gonzalez (@nayisha gonzalez) 1537483524
Ahead of Thursday's demonstrations, a coalition of advocacy groups based in Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S. released a list of demands, including the cancellation of all efforts to privatize crucial services, a stop to austerity measures, and ambitious investments in healthcare, education, and housing for the island.
Finally, the groups demanded an end to the "colonial status of the island."
"Puerto Rico is a colony and its current status curtails the ability that people living on the island have to plan their future," the organizations declared. "A democratic path to the future of Puerto Rico through self determination is key to the islands recovery."
Creatively articulating these demands on Thursday, activists projected "We Need People Powered Recovery," "Stop Privatization," and "Stop Disaster Capitalism" onto CitiBank in Union Square.
\u201cDang. Look what\u2019s lit up in #unionsquare #OurPowerPRnyc @NaomiAKlein @Ocasio2018 @yeampierre\u201d— Laura Weiss (@Laura Weiss) 1537486993
I adore @Uprose for projecting this message in Union Square Park right above the Citbank logo! #OurPowerPrNYCÂ pic.twitter.com/0EbrpogKH2
-- Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) September 21, 2018
\u201cTonight in Union Square #OurPowerPRnyc and @UPROSE demand a #JustRecoveryJustTransition and say #NotoDisasterCapitalism in Puerto Rico\u201d— Taciturn Surfer (@Taciturn Surfer) 1537487607
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria's devastating landfall in Puerto Rico, evacuees, activists, and families of the thousands who were killed by the storm marched on Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday to condemn President Donald Trump's grossly inadequate response to the island's crisis, mourn the victims, and demand a just recovery that puts people over profit.
"We need to ensure that we are fighting against a predatory system that sucks every bit of value from the backs of working people," New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared at a rally in Union Square Thursday night. "What we need to do is make sure profit is never more important than human dignity."
"Three thousand people died in Puerto Rico," Ocasio-Cortez added, citing a death toll that Trump has denied and attempted to discredit by lying about the source of the number. "There are thousands of deaths, and they are the result of negligence."
\u201cAlexandria @Ocasio2018 speaking at #PuertoRico rally one year after #HurricaneMaria:\n\n\u201cWe are fighting justice for our people. Thousands died and they died because of negligence.\u201d\n\nShe called for a Marshall Plan & Green plan of renewable energy. \n#OurPowerPRnyc\u201d— Samy Nemir Olivares (@Samy Nemir Olivares) 1537485296
Hurricane Maria was the "deadliest storm to hit Puerto Rico in over 100 years," and the Trump administration's refusal to respond with adequate urgency and resources has worsened the storm's already catastrophic impact, leaving thousands of Puerto Ricans homeless and without the means to get back on their feet.
"Time and again, people asked for help in getting the most basic kinds of repairs--for missing roofs, collapsed walls, dangerous mold, soaked belongings--then waited for months and often did not get enough to even start the process," the New York Timesnoted on Thursday. "Of the 1.1 million people who requested help from FEMA, about 58 percent were denied. Among those who appealed, 75 percent were rejected again. The median grant given to repair homes was $1,800, compared with about $9,127 paid out to survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas."
This vast disparity between the Trump administration's treatment of American citizens on the U.S. mainland and American citizens in Puerto Rico was at the center of attention during rallies and marches on Thursday, where activists demanded a "people-powered" recovery effort on the scale of the Marshall Plan.
\u201cTime to end the destructive patterns of extraction of land and labor- and lies to cover it all up. Truth and Solidarity and Climate Justice Now at #OurPowerPRnyc \u2066@UPROSE\u2069 \u2066@EarthEthicsCtr\u2069 \u2066@UnionSeminary\u2069\u201d— Karenna Gore (@Karenna Gore) 1537484544
\u201cPacked rally for #HurricaneMaria anniversary \n\n#OurPowerPRnyc w/ @UPROSE\u201d— Victoria Bogdan Tejeda (@Victoria Bogdan Tejeda) 1537484690
"This is what colonization does. It wants us not to love our people on the island and it tells us who live here that we have nothing to do with what's going on on the island," Puerto Rican activist Rosa Clemente declared at a New York City rally on Thursday. "But we are a people of humanity and resistance, and this fight against white supremacy is not here, it's a global fight. This system is coming fast and hard against us, so we must organize fast and hard against the system."
\u201cSister @rosaclemente speaking truth to power \u270a\ud83c\udffd\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7\n#OurPowerPRnyc #pronthemap #womensmarchnyc\u201d— nayisha gonzalez (@nayisha gonzalez) 1537483524
Ahead of Thursday's demonstrations, a coalition of advocacy groups based in Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S. released a list of demands, including the cancellation of all efforts to privatize crucial services, a stop to austerity measures, and ambitious investments in healthcare, education, and housing for the island.
Finally, the groups demanded an end to the "colonial status of the island."
"Puerto Rico is a colony and its current status curtails the ability that people living on the island have to plan their future," the organizations declared. "A democratic path to the future of Puerto Rico through self determination is key to the islands recovery."
Creatively articulating these demands on Thursday, activists projected "We Need People Powered Recovery," "Stop Privatization," and "Stop Disaster Capitalism" onto CitiBank in Union Square.
\u201cDang. Look what\u2019s lit up in #unionsquare #OurPowerPRnyc @NaomiAKlein @Ocasio2018 @yeampierre\u201d— Laura Weiss (@Laura Weiss) 1537486993
I adore @Uprose for projecting this message in Union Square Park right above the Citbank logo! #OurPowerPrNYCÂ pic.twitter.com/0EbrpogKH2
-- Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) September 21, 2018
\u201cTonight in Union Square #OurPowerPRnyc and @UPROSE demand a #JustRecoveryJustTransition and say #NotoDisasterCapitalism in Puerto Rico\u201d— Taciturn Surfer (@Taciturn Surfer) 1537487607
Marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria's devastating landfall in Puerto Rico, evacuees, activists, and families of the thousands who were killed by the storm marched on Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday to condemn President Donald Trump's grossly inadequate response to the island's crisis, mourn the victims, and demand a just recovery that puts people over profit.
"We need to ensure that we are fighting against a predatory system that sucks every bit of value from the backs of working people," New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared at a rally in Union Square Thursday night. "What we need to do is make sure profit is never more important than human dignity."
"Three thousand people died in Puerto Rico," Ocasio-Cortez added, citing a death toll that Trump has denied and attempted to discredit by lying about the source of the number. "There are thousands of deaths, and they are the result of negligence."
\u201cAlexandria @Ocasio2018 speaking at #PuertoRico rally one year after #HurricaneMaria:\n\n\u201cWe are fighting justice for our people. Thousands died and they died because of negligence.\u201d\n\nShe called for a Marshall Plan & Green plan of renewable energy. \n#OurPowerPRnyc\u201d— Samy Nemir Olivares (@Samy Nemir Olivares) 1537485296
Hurricane Maria was the "deadliest storm to hit Puerto Rico in over 100 years," and the Trump administration's refusal to respond with adequate urgency and resources has worsened the storm's already catastrophic impact, leaving thousands of Puerto Ricans homeless and without the means to get back on their feet.
"Time and again, people asked for help in getting the most basic kinds of repairs--for missing roofs, collapsed walls, dangerous mold, soaked belongings--then waited for months and often did not get enough to even start the process," the New York Timesnoted on Thursday. "Of the 1.1 million people who requested help from FEMA, about 58 percent were denied. Among those who appealed, 75 percent were rejected again. The median grant given to repair homes was $1,800, compared with about $9,127 paid out to survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas."
This vast disparity between the Trump administration's treatment of American citizens on the U.S. mainland and American citizens in Puerto Rico was at the center of attention during rallies and marches on Thursday, where activists demanded a "people-powered" recovery effort on the scale of the Marshall Plan.
\u201cTime to end the destructive patterns of extraction of land and labor- and lies to cover it all up. Truth and Solidarity and Climate Justice Now at #OurPowerPRnyc \u2066@UPROSE\u2069 \u2066@EarthEthicsCtr\u2069 \u2066@UnionSeminary\u2069\u201d— Karenna Gore (@Karenna Gore) 1537484544
\u201cPacked rally for #HurricaneMaria anniversary \n\n#OurPowerPRnyc w/ @UPROSE\u201d— Victoria Bogdan Tejeda (@Victoria Bogdan Tejeda) 1537484690
"This is what colonization does. It wants us not to love our people on the island and it tells us who live here that we have nothing to do with what's going on on the island," Puerto Rican activist Rosa Clemente declared at a New York City rally on Thursday. "But we are a people of humanity and resistance, and this fight against white supremacy is not here, it's a global fight. This system is coming fast and hard against us, so we must organize fast and hard against the system."
\u201cSister @rosaclemente speaking truth to power \u270a\ud83c\udffd\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7\n#OurPowerPRnyc #pronthemap #womensmarchnyc\u201d— nayisha gonzalez (@nayisha gonzalez) 1537483524
Ahead of Thursday's demonstrations, a coalition of advocacy groups based in Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S. released a list of demands, including the cancellation of all efforts to privatize crucial services, a stop to austerity measures, and ambitious investments in healthcare, education, and housing for the island.
Finally, the groups demanded an end to the "colonial status of the island."
"Puerto Rico is a colony and its current status curtails the ability that people living on the island have to plan their future," the organizations declared. "A democratic path to the future of Puerto Rico through self determination is key to the islands recovery."
Creatively articulating these demands on Thursday, activists projected "We Need People Powered Recovery," "Stop Privatization," and "Stop Disaster Capitalism" onto CitiBank in Union Square.
\u201cDang. Look what\u2019s lit up in #unionsquare #OurPowerPRnyc @NaomiAKlein @Ocasio2018 @yeampierre\u201d— Laura Weiss (@Laura Weiss) 1537486993
I adore @Uprose for projecting this message in Union Square Park right above the Citbank logo! #OurPowerPrNYCÂ pic.twitter.com/0EbrpogKH2
-- Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) September 21, 2018
\u201cTonight in Union Square #OurPowerPRnyc and @UPROSE demand a #JustRecoveryJustTransition and say #NotoDisasterCapitalism in Puerto Rico\u201d— Taciturn Surfer (@Taciturn Surfer) 1537487607
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.