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I suppose I ought to be elated to see any protection of Puerto Rico in any respect, however the sympathetic “outrage” that adopted for the Puerto Ricans denied a automobile rental or an airline flight failed to talk pointedly to a lot bigger problems with the island’s standing as a colony. (Sure, I do know the U.S. authorized time period of “territory” is normally used.)
Puerto Ricans’ standing as second-class residents, unequal funding for Medicaid, the influence of the Jones Act (which gave Puerto Ricans U. S. citizenship), and the un-elected Junta—the Monetary Oversight and Administration Board for Puerto Rico that basically guidelines the island—are all key points, however aren’t going to generate clicks. Plus, there’s the entire failure of the mainland instructional system to incorporate Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican historical past in class curricula, which, given right-wing Republican efforts to “erase woke,” is sure to worsen.
On Twitter, CBS journalist David Begnaud coated each tales about Hertz and Spirit Airways in a collection of posts, which bought 1000’s of views.
Whereas wading by the social media outpouring of “Puerto Ricans are People, too” responses to the passport tales, I’ve to notice that the majority Puerto Ricans I’ve met through the years, each on the island and within the diaspora, self-identify as “Puerto Rican” and never “American,” no matter their citizenship, territorial/colonial standing, or political social gathering affiliation.
I admit my response to the passport story blitz was consistent with this response from New York Puerto Rican journalist and filmmaker, Andrew Padilla:
Specialised media shops like SCOTUSblog and Jurist did cowl the Supreme Courtroom determination in opposition to the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (Heart for Investigative Journalism). However their protection, to be trustworthy, was not simply comprehensible by the common layperson, myself included. I noticed just one very quick Related Press story:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Courtroom dominated Thursday in opposition to a company of Puerto Rican journalists in its quest for paperwork from the monetary oversight board created to take care of the island territory’s chapter.
The justices by an 8-1 vote reversed an appeals courtroom ruling in favor of the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, which has reported extensively on Puerto Rico’s fiscal disaster and debt restructuring.
In 2016, Congress handed a regulation that created the management board that continues to supervise Puerto Rico’s funds. The reporters’ group is in search of an array of paperwork, together with communications between the board’s members and U.S. and Puerto Rican officers. The board contends it is part of the federal government of Puerto Rico and enjoys the identical protect from federal lawsuits as the federal government.
Right here’s the English language response to SCOTUS from the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo:
“The Board refuses to reveal the general public paperwork requested and the U.S. Supreme Courtroom at present permits this. It’s a weak judicial ruling, as a result of its important and essential argument is to imagine that the Board has immunity, with out deciding or going into the deserves of whether or not it actually has that safety. The implications of this Supreme Courtroom determination are perverse for the folks of Puerto Rico,” stated Carla Minet, government director of the CPI.
SCOTUS’s determination successfully provides the Board the facility to not adjust to the elemental proper that Puerto Rico residents should know what is occurring of their authorities. That is unprecedented even for the federal government of america. This determination solely applies to the Board and to not the Authorities of Puerto Rico or any of its instrumentalities, which proceed to be topic to the constitutional proper of entry to data acknowledged by the Puerto Rico Supreme Courtroom greater than 40 years in the past. […]
“We strongly reject the choice issued by the U.S. Supreme Courtroom that tramples on the rights of Puerto Ricans. We’re dealing with one more chapter of the colonial relationship between Puerto Rico and america, this time, hindering authorities transparency and accountability in Puerto Rico consequently,” Minet added.
Latino Justice: Puerto Rican Authorized Protection & Schooling Fund, the pan-Latino civil rights group based in 1972, responded with a press launch.
Journalist Carlos Edill Berríos Polanco additionally wrote about for determination for Latino Rebels:
The FOMBPR, identified by Puerto Ricans as “La Junta,” was created by the Puerto Rico Oversight, Administration, and Financial Stability Act (PROMESA) in 2016 to take care of the archipelago’s greater than $70 billion debt. The board has repeatedly come beneath fireplace resulting from conflicts of curiosity between board members and personal companies, together with the crippling austerity measures it has handed to fulfill Puerto Rico’s collectors. […]
Clarence Thomas was the one dissenting opinion. Notably, Sonia Sotomayor, who’s Puerto Rican herself, joined the bulk.
Journalist and Editor Alberto Medina posted a Twitter thread in response to the SCOTUS ruling, which you’ll learn right here.
Sadly, mainstream U.S. media is unlikely to do a lot in-depth protection of the important points dealing with Puerto Rico within the close to—or far—future. I’ll proceed to put up various sources right here for readers who do have an curiosity.
Please be part of me within the feedback part beneath for extra and for the weekly Caribbean information roundup.
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