Protesters rally at White House to show solidarity with Puerto Rico: 'We might not live there now, but it’s home'
WASHINGTON – Armed with drums, tambourines and cowbells, hundreds gathered outside the White House on Monday night to rally against the governor of Puerto Rico.
The protesters, many of whom said they were from Puerto Rico, sought to show solidarity with the hundreds of thousands who have rallied on the island for more than a week demanding Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resign amid a deepening scandal involving vulgar text messages that have fueled intense emotions across the island.
“We’re here to protect our island,” said Yesenia Núñez, 38, who was born in Puerto Rico but lives in Washington. “We might not live there now, but it’s home. It doesn’t matter that we’re far away. We’re going to make sure people know what’s happening and make sure we get our message across that he needs to go.”
Núñez swayed and sung along as others, many decked out from head-to-toe in Puerto Rican pride gear, waved large Puerto Rican flags and patted small drums or banged on cowbells. One person even used a cast iron skillet.
'He must resign': Thousands shut down Puerto Rico streets demanding Gov. Ricardo Rosselló step down
The Spanish chants of “Ricky resign” and “You are corrupt” echoed in front of the White House, almost appearing like a party to passerby who didn't understand the language or the worsening crisis on the island.
“People are tired,” Núñez said. “People are tired of the corruption. These messages going public were the tipping point.”
Núñez pointed to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the trust she put in the island’s government. She said she raised money at work to help those reeling from the Category 5 storm.
“It’s just so hard, you know?” she said. “It’s just so corrupt and we need this to end. We need to heal. The people of Puerto Rico need to heal and to move on from this corruption.”
VIDEO: Puerto Ricans gather for protest to expel governor
The Monday night rally was put together quickly by Puerto Ricans in the community who saw the week and a half of gatherings on the island. Some say they hope the White House will pressure Rosselló to resign, others say they hope to keep U.S. politicians from interfering in the island’s future.
“The U.S. has a way of imposing its will on others and Rosselló shouldn’t resign because Trump says to, or Congress says to. He should resign because the people of Puerto Rico says he should,” said Ricardo Mercado, 21, one of the organizers of the event.
“This is about making the people of Puerto Rico heard and letting everyone know that we’re not going away,” he said. “And this is just the beginning. It’s going to be a new day on our island soon enough.”
Despite the ongoing furor, Rosselló has refused to resign, though he did announce Sunday night that he would not seek reelection. He also stepped down as the head of his pro-statehood political party.
In a brief video posted on Facebook, Rosselló also said he looked forward to defending himself against the process of impeachment, whose initial stages are being explored by Puerto Rico’s Legislature.
“In spite of everything, I recognize that apologizing isn’t enough, that only my work will help restore confidence,” Rosselló said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Puerto Rico protesters rally at White House against Ricardo Rosselló
