Puerto Rico Protests Continue As Rosselló Refuses To Resign

With Meghna Chakrabarti

Demonstrators from across Puerto Rico are calling for the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló after messages between Rosselló and his staff were leaked. We get the latest.

Antonia Hylton, civil rights correspondent for Vice News Tonight. (@ahylton26)

Daniel Morcate, chief newswriter for Univision News and political columnist for Univison.com. (@dmorca)

Washington Post: "Puerto Rico has turned on its governor as deep unrest reaches the surface" — "Puerto Rico has reached a turning point, with hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding that a generation of corruption, graft and class warfare here come to an end. Their target: Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, who is facing the threat of impeachment as the streets fill with anger, frustration and impatience.

"Puerto Ricans have come together as a singing, chanting, pot-banging union of voices in Old San Juan and far-flung pueblo plazas. They are arriving en masse by car, kayak, boat and horse day after day. Night after night, their numbers — volume, length, diversity and spontaneity — grow without any clear leader guiding the masses in their call for Rosselló to step down.

"On Monday, organizers say they expect more than 1 million residents — about a third of the U.S. territory’s population — to join an unprecedented national march, part of an ongoing demonstration against the governor and Puerto Rico’s entire political system. They plan to shut down San Juan’s main avenue, where businesses are planning to close for the day, and many downtown offices are giving their employees the day off."

NPR: "Thousands In Puerto Rico Seek To Oust Rosselló In Massive 'Ricky Renuncia' March" — "Thousands of people flooded the streets of San Juan on Monday, calling for Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló to resign from office. The mass demonstrations are expected to be one of the largest protests ever seen in a U.S. territory.

"A scandal that recently exposed chat messages Rosselló sent among his inner circle showed the governor and his allies insulting women, gay people and mocking everyday Puerto Ricans, even victims of Hurricane Maria.

"On Sunday, Rosselló announced that he will not step down. Instead, he said he would not seek re-election next year — a move that did little to dampen widespread protests that have now been held for 10 straight days. By noon Monday, demonstrators had already clogged a major highway, causing the island's largest mall to close and prompting cruise stops to cancel port stops to keep tourists away."

El Nuevo Dia: "Editorial: Gobernador, Puerto Rico pide su renuncia" — "El pueblo de Puerto Rico se ha expresado con elocuencia. El clamor ciudadano que recorre todos los rincones de este país hace imperativo conseguir una respuesta. En esta hora de angustias e incertidumbres el peso de la responsabilidad recae sobre el gobernador Ricardo Rosselló.

"Nunca antes en la historia de nuestra isla se había registrado una manifestación de tan enorme significado aquí y afuera del país. La gente ha elevado la voz para pedirle a su máxima autoridad ceder paso a las soluciones imperativas para el desarrollo emocional, social y económico de los hombres y mujeres que habitan esta bendita tierra.

"El pueblo puertorriqueño lo ha exigido: gobernador renuncie. Ese es el paso correcto que con humildad Ricardo Rosselló tiene que dar, en expresión de amor a su gente que desde las urnas le dio el voto de confianza y que hoy está quebrado irremediablemente."

New York Times: "‘The People Can’t Take It Anymore’: Puerto Rico Erupts in a Day of Protests" — "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 in the latest in a series of furious protests over the island’s embattled governor, Ricardo A. Rosselló.

"The protest was one of the largest ever seen on the island, as Puerto Ricans streamed into the capital on buses — and some on planes from the mainland — in a spontaneous eruption of fury over the years of recession, mismanagement, natural disaster and corruption that have fueled a recent exodus.

Ignoring sporadic deluges, demonstrators launched impromptu line dances, paraded on horseback, banged pots and carried banners along several miles of highway, many shouting: 'Ricky, renuncia, el pueblo te repudia!' — Ricky, resign, the people reject you."

Stefano Kotsonis produced this segment for broadcast.