“Puerto Ricans are not being displaced”
“Puerto Rico is not being gentrified”
Yeah the last 5 years are coincidentally the time frame in which the United States government imposed a dictatorial committee that controls our finances and who have enacted drastic austerity measures
FYI; this law (called PROMESA) enacted by Obama and the Democratic party. This dictatorial committee is dedicated to pillaging the US colony of Puerto Rico. It’s a neoliberal vulture.
PROMESA was imposed onto Puerto Rico to strip the colony out of its financial autonomy to ensure wall street vulture funds are paid back the losses from preying on our ILLEGAL fiscal debt. The consequences have been a big population loss due to forced austerity and gentrification
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
🧵THREAD: Before the US govt forced Puerto Rico’s electricity grid to be privatized (effective June 1st), American-Canadian corp LUMA was paid $1B to prepare for service & maintenance duty. 2 wks in, the grid’s unstableness is costing us our homes, food, appliances; EVERYTHING.🧵
As many of you know, Puerto Rico experienced a deadly hurricane in 2017 that knocked our power grid down, leaving us without power for a year. As a result, the utility became a target for neoliberal vultures & disaster capitalism to swoop in and take over. (See: Whitefish/Cobra)
Puerto Rico is under full authority of Congress & surviving under direct austerity measures imposed by the Fiscal Control Management Board. Despite resistance, FOMB overruled our Legislature & a contract to privatize the grid was implemented. Its now under LUMA ENERGY’s control
A 3 yr old boy died in Vieques after the govt failed to transport him to the big island for a medical emergency. Vieques has been without a hospital since Hurricane Maria in 2017. However, this is not an isolated incident. 👇🏼
Vieques (along with Culebra) is an isle off Puerto Rico that has suffered irredeemable consequences of colonialism to a higher degree compared to the big island. Vieques also saw the US NAVY bombing of its land & shores that to this day, the US govt is yet to compensate them for.
Additionally the islands of Vieques & Culebra have been facing an unreliable maritime transportation system for decades. The govt continues to perpetuate their isolation by ignoring their protests over monthly interruption of shipments of basic necessities law.scu.edu/experiential/i…