Puerto Rican diaspora rallies in NYC

A bilingual “mic check” and demonstration was held at Manhattan’s Federal Plaza on Sept. 28 to denounce the U.S. governmental neglect of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, led by President Donald Trump,.

Hundreds of people joined the protest after long marches through various New York communities. Other emergency rallies for Puerto Rico were held in several New York City locations.

Protesters chanted “Donald Trump! Shame on you!” and “¡Yo soy Boricua!” (“I am Puerto Rican!”), and they held signs denouncing Trump. They sang songs in Spanish, such as the revolutionary Puerto Rican anthem, “Que Bonita Bandera” (“What a Beautiful Flag”). As they passed by, a city sanitation truck driver and a city bus driver both honked their horns in support.

A flyer distributed at the event demanded the U.S. release life-saving relief, cancel the debt and abolish the Jones Act, which requires goods shipped to Puerto Rico to be transported only by U.S. vessels. Under pressure, Trump temporarily waived the act on Sept. 28 — for only a 10-day period.