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Massive Protests Against Puerto Rican Government Expected Today


Puerto Ricans protest against the government on Oct. 15, 2009.

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There's some big goings-on in Puerto Rico today that don't seem to be getting much press coverage -- big as in hundreds of thousands of people marching against the government, and possibly being threatened with charges of terrorism as a result.

It starts with Puerto Rico's faltering economy -- a $3.2 billion deficit and an unemployment rate of 15 percent as of last month. That's higher than any U.S. state. More than 20,000 public employees have been laid off and the government announced last month nearly 17,000 additional layoffs of public employees. That includes teachers, social workers and health care workers, among others. The latest firings are effective Nov. 6.

So today, according to SEIU, "hundreds of thousands of Puerto Rican workers, faith leaders, students and citizens" are taking part today in a protest march against "massive cuts in essential public services." There could be severe consequences for doing so.

According to the local Daily Sun, the government of Gov. Luis Fortuno has threatened protesters with charges of terrorism.

Earlier this week, Justice Secretary Antonio Sagardía and Police Superintendent José Figueroa Sancha warned organizers of the Oct. 15 general work stoppage that they could be charged with engaging in terrorism if they block access to ports or the airport, because they would be interfering with interstate commerce. In a radio interview Wednesday, Gov. Fortuño also described such actions as terrorism.

We'll be watching throughout the day to see what -- if any -- action the Puerto Rican government takes against the protesters -- and whether there are really hundreds of thousands who show up for the march.

Two SEIU staffers on the ground are updating their Flickr page here. And there's live (though spotty, at last check) video from the protest here.

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10 comments

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October 15, 2009 12:03 PM   

What can they do? They can't print money, they can't just live on their deficit. But the people can do whatever they want too. It sucks, but the government is just stuck here.

What is the solution? There is none.

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October 15, 2009 7:05 PM    in reply to MNPundit

MNPundit,

Had it occurred to you that he could raise taxes?

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October 19, 2009 1:43 PM    in reply to Dollared

Uh, with employment so high, where are those taxes going to come from?

(I'm assuming they are the equivalent of State Taxes.)

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October 15, 2009 12:06 PM   

17,ooo... that's a LOT of laid-off workers! And these are additional lay-offs??? As a recently laid-off city worker (middle manager)I can certainly empathize with their plight. This does warrent watching.

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October 15, 2009 12:09 PM   

Fortuno is a Republican. His Education Secretary banned several books from high school libraries because of "coarse language:"

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-09-14-PR-Education_N.htm

Wonder how the Puerto Rican equivalent of teabaggers would feel about being described as "terrorists" if they decided to protest government policies.

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October 15, 2009 12:43 PM   

At the rish of channeling Jonathan Swift...let them eat their children...

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October 15, 2009 12:55 PM   

we need some of that action over here on the mainland...

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October 15, 2009 1:07 PM   

Thanks for posting this Ben.

For those looking to take action, you can write your your congressional representative and ask them to hold hearings looking into Gov. Fortuño's anti-American actions. Take action at SEIU.org.

Disclosure: I'm proud to work for the Service Employees International Union.

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October 15, 2009 1:55 PM    in reply to Matt Browner Hamlin

thank you!!

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October 15, 2009 1:27 PM   

It starts with Puerto Rico's faltering economy -- a $3.2 billion deficit and an unemployment rate of 15 percent as of last month. That's higher than any U.S. state.

That's pretty bad but still not as high as Michigan, which has a 15.2 percent rate http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm.

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