Worcester City Councilor Lends Support To Puerto Rican Protesters

WORCESTER, MA — Tensions over Puerto Rico's government and Governor Ricardo Roselló have spilled from the island over to the states in places like Worcester, where Puerto Ricans at home are just as angry as those on the island. Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera issued a statement expressing her support for protesters on the island. A protest is planned in front of Worcester City Hall at 5 p.m. on Monday in solidarity.

The protests in Puerto Rico come after an 889 page group chat between Roselló and his administration was published by Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism. The messages were taken from a messaging app where Roselló and 11 top aides and cabinet members exchanged profane, homophobic and misogynistic comments about political rivals, among others. Offensive comments in the chat also targeted the federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico's financial crisis — Rosselló wrote in English, "go f--- yourself," followed by a string of middle finger emojis in reference to the board.

Councilor Rivera said the comments in the groupchat displayed a disrespct for the Puerto Rican people. Her statement reads in part:

"Governor Rosselló’s comments clearly spoke volumes of his lack of leadership and his
blatant and utter disrespect for the dignity of the Puerto Rican people. These
despicable statements undermine the public trust necessary for any leader in public
service to have in order to effectively lead."

Since the messages were published, two members of Rosellós cabinet have resigned and prior to the publishing, two former members of Rosselló's administration were arrested on fraud charges.
Massive crowds protested in front of the governor's mansion in Old San Juan starting on Saturday. Despite a strong police force in full riot gear and at least two pepper spray incidents, the protests have held strong into Wednesday.

Massachusetts has the fifth highest population of Puerto Ricans in the country, behind New York, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, according to Boston Planning and Development Agency. Worcester is ranked in the top 20 mainland cities for the size of it's Puerto Rican population. In 2018, in response to Puerto Rican refugees seeking out family and safety Worcester’s Puerto Rican community organized “Amor Para Puerto Rico” to raise funds, coordinate relief efforts and settle refugees.

Rivera went on to say:

"As an elected leader in the City of Worcester, representing over 20,000 proud borinqueños and as a proud member of the Puerto Rican diaspora with family in Fajardo, Naguabo, San Sebastián, Rio Alto, y Quebrada Grande en Las Piedras. I firmly add my name alongside the names of survivors across our island demanding Governor Roselló step down immediately."