SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Protesters demonstrate against Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello near police that are manning a barricade set up along a street leading to the governor's mansion on July 20, 2019 in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images)
'He Needs to Go!' Hundreds of Thousands Set to Pour Into Streets as Puerto Rico Gov. Rossello Refuses to Resign
"The people are not going to go away. That's what he's hoping for, but we outnumber him."
Jul 22, 2019
As mass street protests demanding his immediate resignation intensified over the weekend and are expected to continue growing Monday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello stepped down as head of his party on Sunday and announced he will not seek reelection in 2020--but stopped short of leaving his post.
"To every Puerto Rican man and every Puerto Rican woman, I've heard you and I hear you today," Rossello said during a Facebook livestream. "I've made mistakes and I have apologized."
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who is running for governor in 2020, tweeted in response to Rossello's remarks: "It is not enough. He needs to go!"
Rossello's announcement came over a week after the publication of nearly 900 pages of conversations between the governor and his aides, which contained racist and sexist messages and mockery of the victims of Hurricane Maria.
The revelations were met with outrage and sparked a flood of demonstrations calling on Rossello to step down immediately.
\u201cNext up\u2014 bomba, traditional dance, in front of La Fortaleza, calling for governor\u2019s resignation.\u201d— Leyla Santiago (@Leyla Santiago) 1563752402
\u201cEvery night at 8pm people across the island are stepping out onto balconies, into courtyards, into the streets and banging pots and pans for an hour or more. \u2019Caserolazos\u2019 are a Latin-American tradition but have never happened in PR. They\u2019ll continue until Gov. Rossell\u00f3 resigns.\u201d— Adrian Florido (@Adrian Florido) 1563757006
Rossello's decision Sunday came just hours ahead of what is "expected to be one of the biggest protests ever seen" in Puerto Rico, according to the Associated Press.
"Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to take over one of the island's busiest highways Monday morning to press demands for the resignation of Rossello over an obscenity-laced leaked online chat the governor had with allies as well as federal corruption charges leveled against his administration," AP reported.
Monday will mark the 10th consecutive day of widespread street demonstrations against Rossello. Johanna Soto, a Puerto Rico resident, told AP that the protests will continue until the governor steps aside.
"The people are not going to go away," said Soto. "That's what he's hoping for, but we outnumber him."
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.
As mass street protests demanding his immediate resignation intensified over the weekend and are expected to continue growing Monday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello stepped down as head of his party on Sunday and announced he will not seek reelection in 2020--but stopped short of leaving his post.
"To every Puerto Rican man and every Puerto Rican woman, I've heard you and I hear you today," Rossello said during a Facebook livestream. "I've made mistakes and I have apologized."
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who is running for governor in 2020, tweeted in response to Rossello's remarks: "It is not enough. He needs to go!"
Rossello's announcement came over a week after the publication of nearly 900 pages of conversations between the governor and his aides, which contained racist and sexist messages and mockery of the victims of Hurricane Maria.
The revelations were met with outrage and sparked a flood of demonstrations calling on Rossello to step down immediately.
\u201cNext up\u2014 bomba, traditional dance, in front of La Fortaleza, calling for governor\u2019s resignation.\u201d— Leyla Santiago (@Leyla Santiago) 1563752402
\u201cEvery night at 8pm people across the island are stepping out onto balconies, into courtyards, into the streets and banging pots and pans for an hour or more. \u2019Caserolazos\u2019 are a Latin-American tradition but have never happened in PR. They\u2019ll continue until Gov. Rossell\u00f3 resigns.\u201d— Adrian Florido (@Adrian Florido) 1563757006
Rossello's decision Sunday came just hours ahead of what is "expected to be one of the biggest protests ever seen" in Puerto Rico, according to the Associated Press.
"Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to take over one of the island's busiest highways Monday morning to press demands for the resignation of Rossello over an obscenity-laced leaked online chat the governor had with allies as well as federal corruption charges leveled against his administration," AP reported.
Monday will mark the 10th consecutive day of widespread street demonstrations against Rossello. Johanna Soto, a Puerto Rico resident, told AP that the protests will continue until the governor steps aside.
"The people are not going to go away," said Soto. "That's what he's hoping for, but we outnumber him."
As mass street protests demanding his immediate resignation intensified over the weekend and are expected to continue growing Monday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello stepped down as head of his party on Sunday and announced he will not seek reelection in 2020--but stopped short of leaving his post.
"To every Puerto Rican man and every Puerto Rican woman, I've heard you and I hear you today," Rossello said during a Facebook livestream. "I've made mistakes and I have apologized."
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who is running for governor in 2020, tweeted in response to Rossello's remarks: "It is not enough. He needs to go!"
Rossello's announcement came over a week after the publication of nearly 900 pages of conversations between the governor and his aides, which contained racist and sexist messages and mockery of the victims of Hurricane Maria.
The revelations were met with outrage and sparked a flood of demonstrations calling on Rossello to step down immediately.
\u201cNext up\u2014 bomba, traditional dance, in front of La Fortaleza, calling for governor\u2019s resignation.\u201d— Leyla Santiago (@Leyla Santiago) 1563752402
\u201cEvery night at 8pm people across the island are stepping out onto balconies, into courtyards, into the streets and banging pots and pans for an hour or more. \u2019Caserolazos\u2019 are a Latin-American tradition but have never happened in PR. They\u2019ll continue until Gov. Rossell\u00f3 resigns.\u201d— Adrian Florido (@Adrian Florido) 1563757006
Rossello's decision Sunday came just hours ahead of what is "expected to be one of the biggest protests ever seen" in Puerto Rico, according to the Associated Press.
"Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to take over one of the island's busiest highways Monday morning to press demands for the resignation of Rossello over an obscenity-laced leaked online chat the governor had with allies as well as federal corruption charges leveled against his administration," AP reported.
Monday will mark the 10th consecutive day of widespread street demonstrations against Rossello. Johanna Soto, a Puerto Rico resident, told AP that the protests will continue until the governor steps aside.
"The people are not going to go away," said Soto. "That's what he's hoping for, but we outnumber him."
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.