[News] Puerto Rico: Reflections on the National Strike

Fri Oct 16 16:09:32 EDT 2009

Puerto Rico: Reflections on the National Strike

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/10/16/puerto-rico-reflections-on-the-national-strike/print/
Posted By Firuzeh Shokooh Valle On 2009-10-16 @ 
19:03 pm In Americas, Cyber-Activism, Economics, 
English, Photos, Politics, Protest, Puerto Rico 
(U.S.), Spanish, Video, Weblog |

Last October 15, thousands of people in Puerto 
Rico flooded the streets to protest the 
government's decision to lay off around 17,000 
government employees (in total there have been 
around 25,000 lay-offs this year). Workers and 
members of trade unions, women, 
environmentalists, religious groups, students, 
teachers, professors, lawyers, and the LGBT 
community, among many other groups of the civil 
society, answered the call of the labor movement 
that initially convened the strike. Universities, 
schools, and stores closed for the day.
Demonstration in Puerto Rico. Photo sent to GV by a participant

Demonstration in Puerto Rico. Photo sent to GV by a participant.

The 
<http://www.primerahora.com/diario/noticia/gobierno_y_politica/noticias/firme_no_a_los_despidos/338175>organizers 
of the event estimated that 150,000-200,000 
people participated [1] in the massive 
demonstration that started from different points 
in the heart of the metropolitan area of San 
Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, particularly 
from the financial district, and converged in the 
immediate surrounding of Plaza Las Américas, the 
largest mall of the Caribbean and whose owners 
contributed to governor Luis Fortuño's campaign. 
There have been no official estimates, although 
government officials minimized the number. The 
Governor and his Chief of Staff, Marcos Rodríguez 
Ema, immediately stated that the law (Law 7 of 
Fiscal Emergency) that made the lay-offs viable 
<http://www.elnuevodia.com/elparonorompeelimpasse-627058.html>would 
not be repealed [2]. There were no incidents, 
although at the end of the demonstration there 
were 
<http://www.dialogodigital.com/es/node/3026>moments 
of tension between students and the police [3].
"Revolution Now" Photo sent to GV by a participant.

"Revolution Now" Photo sent to GV by a participant.

The methodist bishop Juan Vera, one of the 
keynote speakers of the demonstration and a 
member of the coalition of civil society 
organizations Todo Puerto Rico por Puerto Rico, 
declared that 
<http://www.elnuevodia.com/elparonorompeelimpasse-627058.html>the 
country would be in a “state of pacific 
insurrection” until the government changed its 
policies [2] and that there would be more acts of 
civil disobedience and resistance. Other 
organizers of the event are already talking about 
future strategies and another strike that would paralyze the entire Island.
Photo sent to GV by a participant.

Photo sent to GV by a participant.

The Puerto Rican twittersphere was extremely 
active. The conversation flowed under the 
hashtags 
<http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23ParoPR>#paropr 
[4] and 
<http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23twittericans>#twittericans 
[5]. The people at 
<http://twitter.com/caribnews>@caribnews [6], 
<http://twitter.com/qiibo>@qiibo [7], and 
<http://twitter.com/microjuris>@microjuris, [8] 
among many other citizen journalists, were 
constantly tweeting updates and news about the 
strike, and providing links to photos and videos. 
Many twitterers proclaimed the strike was the 
first event in which Twitter was used as a 
platform to transmit Puerto Rico to the world. 
These are some examples of the conversation:

<http://twitter.com/edwinvazquez>@edwinvazquez 
[9]: Este es el día que Puerto Rico pasó el curso 
Twitter 101. #ParoPR (This is the day Puerto Rico 
passed the Twitter course 101)

<http://twitter.com/blogdiva>@blogdiva [10] I 
thought liberation theology was a thing of the 
past - am glad it still has influence. #ParoPR

<http://twitter.com/comatoso>@comatoso [11]
Para quedar claros: denuncio el incumplimiento de 
la unicameralidad, la mala administración, el 
sabotaje al Colegio de Abogados. #ParoPR (I want 
to make clear I denounce the non-compliance of 
unicamerality, bad administration and the 
sabotage of the 
<http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=36306&ct_id=1&ct_name=1>Bar 
Association [12])

Pero si respaldo la reducción de empleados de 
gobierno y no tengo nada en contra de las APP si 
logran generar empleos y bajar costos.#ParoPR 
(But I do supprt the reduction of government 
employees and I have nothing against the 
<http://www.adn.es/politica/20090512/NWS-3520-Senado-puertorriqueno-sindicatos-rechazan-aprueba.html>APP 
[13] if it generates employments and reduces costs)

<http://twitter.com/elchascas>@elchascas [14] 
Consigna anticipada en #ParoPR: Si la poli da 
cantazo, contrarresta con twitazo! (The message 
for the day in #paropr: If the police gives blows, counteract with a tweet!)

<http://twitter.com/Zerock>@zerock [15]: No apoyo 
a los mantenios. Que van a su trabajo de empleado 
publico a bochinchar y no hacen un carajo. 
#ParoPR ( I do not support people who don't work. 
People who go to their jobs as government employees to gossip and do nothing)

<http://twitter.com/ElSorbeto>@elsorbeto [16] 
Fortuño has Bush's same trickle-down stimulus. 
Stimulate rich friends pockets and trickling-down 
on everyone else. That's why we #ParoPR

Flows of information, opinions, videos and images 
also traveled through the Puerto Rican 
blogosphere like lightning. Here are some reflections on the national strike.

In his blog 
<http://josejoeldelgado.blogspot.com>Sobre la 
comunidad LGBT y el mundo [17] [ES], José Joel Degado comments:

Hoy las diferencias se fueron a un lado. Jóvenes, 
adultos, pastores evangélicos, metodistas y 
católicos, homosexuales, lesbianas y 
transgéneros, estudiantes, profesionales, 
abogados, médicos, independentistas, PNP's y 
populares; todos unidos en un sólo reclamo. No 
hubo incidentes mayores, aunque hubo intentos de provocación.
Puerto Rico se levanta del letargo. Es hora de 
que exijamos nuestros derechos de pie, de frente y sin miedo.

Today differences were set aside. Young people, 
adults, Evangelical ministers, Methodists and 
Catholics, homosexuals, lesbians and 
transgendered people, students, professionals, 
lawyers, doctors, people who believe in Puerto 
Rico’s independence, statehood, and commonwealth 
status, joined under one single claim. There were 
no major incidents, although there were some acts 
of provocation. Its time that we demand our 
rights, with our heads up, and without fear.

Feminist blogger Amárilis Pagán talked about 
solidarity in 
<http://brujasyrebeldes.blogspot.com>Brujas y rebeldes [18] [ES]:

Hemos estado sufriendo las agresiones continuas 
de un gobierno caracterizado por la violencia 
sicológica e ideológica. Todavía hoy, ese mismo 
gobierno menosprecia nuestra inteligencia y cree 
que somos un pueblo manipulable a través del 
miedo y del individualismo. Por eso, han hablado 
de terrorismo, de independentismo, de minorías 
supuestamente violentas y malintecionadas. Están 
apelando a prejuicios que en el pasado le han 
servido para hacernos creer que el pueblo carece 
de poder y que el gobierno de turno es la única 
entidad con la inteligencia suficiente para tomar 
decisiones a nombre de todas y todos. Quieren que 
nos miremos unos a otras con sospecha y que nos 
atrincheremos en causas fragmentadas para que 
abortemos un movimiento democrático sin 
precedentes en nuestra historia
Estamos ante un 
muerto que aún no se ha reconocido como tal y que 
está dando sus últimos aletazos de desesperación 
para detenernos. Es sólo un fantasma opresivo al 
que hay pasar por el lado fijando nuestra mirada 
en la equidad y la justicia que están vivas y 
necesitando nuestra acción solidaria.

We have been suffering continual aggressions of a 
government characterized by its psychological and 
ideological violence. Still, today, this same 
government undervalues our intelligence and 
thinks we can be manipulated through fear and 
individualism. That’s why they have talked about 
terrorism, independence, and of allegedly violent 
and malicious minorities. They are appealing to 
prejudices that have served them well in the past 
in order to make us believe we are powerless, and 
that the government is the only entity with 
enough intelligence to decide for us. They want 
us to suspect each other and divide us into 
fragmentary causes so we forget about a 
democratic movement that has no precedence in our 
history. But the only thing that has died is the 
idea that the government is infallible
We are 
before a dead entity that has not recognized 
itself as such and that is desperately trying to 
stop us. Its just an oppressive ghost that we 
must ignore while we look towards ideals of 
equity and justice that are alive and need our solidarity.

<http://gilthejenius.blogspot.com>Gil the Jenius [19] has another take:

We are already too late protest. That level of 
activity had a window that slammed shut back 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Maravilla_Incident>when 
two stupid men were shot by viciously stupid 
policemen [20]. Since then, We've been largely 
spectators in a victimization society, both 
observers and victims, sheep watching wolves 
fleecing “others,” unwilling to see that “they” 
are also “Us.” Who's the target We should be 
aiming at? Even We can figure that out now
 But 
We don't want to. It sucks to grow up and learn 
to accept responsibility, right?. Like We have a choice

In <http://edwinvazquez.blogspot.com>Cargas y 
descargas [21] [ES] Biology professor and blogger 
Edwin Vázquez made a list of his 10 reflections on the strike. One of them is:

A la prensa estadounidense no le importa lo que 
sucede en Puerto Rico, a menos que haya tiros y 
catástrofes.  Lo sucedido prácticamente pasó 
desapercibido en EEUU.  CNN le dedicó más de una 
hora a seguir un globo donde no estaba el 
supuesto niño perdido (el niño apareció escondido 
en su casa) y quizás una línea al paro histórico nacional de Puerto Rico.

The Unites States' press does not care about what 
happens in Puerto Rico, unless there are 
gun-shots or a catastrophe. What happened in 
Puerto Rico was practically was ignored in the 
United States. CNN dedicated more than an hour to 
follow a globe that was supposedly carrying a 
lost boy (the boy later appeared in his house 
where he was hiding), and maybe a sentence to the 
historic national strike in Puerto Rico.

Cuerpo de Documentación has uploaded 
<http://www.cuerpodedocumentacion.blogspot.com/>photos 
[22] and 
<http://www.cuerpodedocumentacion.com/>videos 
[23] of the strike. For context about the 
national strike and the situation in Puerto Rico, 
please see previous posts 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/10/02/puerto-rico-a-crisis-with-many-names/>“A 
Crisis with Many Names” [24], 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/08/28/puerto-rico-such-is-life/>“Such 
is Life” [25], 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/08/11/puerto-rico-the-battle-over-public-lands/>“The 
Battle over Public Lands,” [26] and 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/10/13/puerto-rico-ready-for-the-national-strike/>“Ready 
for the National Strike” [27]. The people at the 
nonprofit Center for the New Economy have also 
been  <http://cneblog.grupocne.org/>posting [28] 
in-depth analyses on the Island's economic situation.

----------
Article printed from Global Voices Online: http://globalvoicesonline.org

URL to article: 
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/10/16/puerto-rico-reflections-on-the-national-strike/

URLs in this post:

[1] organizers of the event estimated that 
150,000-200,000 people participated: 
http://www.primerahora.com/diario/noticia/gobierno_y_politica/noticias/firme_no_a_los_despidos/338175

[2] would not be repealed: 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/elparonorompeelimpasse-627058.html

[3] moments of tension between students and the 
police: http://www.dialogodigital.com/es/node/3026

[4] #paropr: http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23ParoPR

[5] #twittericans: http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23twittericans

[6] @caribnews: http://twitter.com/caribnews

[7] @qiibo: http://twitter.com/qiibo

[8] @microjuris,: http://twitter.com/microjuris

[9] @edwinvazquez: http://twitter.com/edwinvazquez

[10] @blogdiva: http://twitter.com/blogdiva

[11] @comatoso: http://twitter.com/comatoso

[12] Bar Association: 
http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=36306&ct_id=1&ct_name=1

[13] APP: 
http://www.adn.es/politica/20090512/NWS-3520-Senado-puertorriqueno-sindicatos-rechazan-aprueba.html

[14] @elchascas: http://twitter.com/elchascas

[15] @zerock: http://twitter.com/Zerock

[16] @elsorbeto: http://twitter.com/ElSorbeto

[17] Sobre la comunidad LGBT y el mundo: http://josejoeldelgado.blogspot.com

[18] Brujas y rebeldes: http://brujasyrebeldes.blogspot.com

[19] Gil the Jenius: http://gilthejenius.blogspot.com

[20] when two stupid men were shot by viciously 
stupid policemen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Maravilla_Incident

[21] Cargas y descargas: http://edwinvazquez.blogspot.com

[22] photos: http://www.cuerpodedocumentacion.blogspot.com/

[23] videos: http://www.cuerpodedocumentacion.com/

[24] “A Crisis with Many Names”: 
http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/10/02/puerto-rico-a-crisis-with-many-names/

[25] “Such is Life”: 
http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/08/28/puerto-rico-such-is-life/

[26] “The Battle over Public Lands,”: 
http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/08/11/puerto-rico-the-battle-over-public-lands/

[27] “Ready for the National Strike”: 
http://globalvoicesonline.org../2009/10/13/puerto-rico-ready-for-the-national-strike/

[28] posting: http://cneblog.grupocne.org/

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