Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 24 January 2020
Puerto Ricans protest in anger over unused emergency aid

By DANICA COTO "We're in a moment of help-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ing people in the south, not
(AP) — Hundreds of people of creating controversy."
joined a protest Thursday Vázquez came under fire
organized by Puerto Rican on Saturday after an online
singer René Pérez of Calle blogger posted a live feed
13 fame in a demonstration of a warehouse in the south-
reminiscent of those that ern coastal city of Ponce
ousted the island's former filled with water, cots,
governor last year. Anger baby food and other sup-
is growing over emergency plies dating from Hurricane
aid that until recently sat un- Maria. A group of people
used in a warehouse amid broke into the warehouse
ongoing earthquakes. and began distributing sup-
Protesters began arriving at plies to those affected by
the seaside Capitol build- the recent 6.4 magnitude
ing banging on pots and quake that prompted U.S.
clapping as they formed a President Donald Trump to
large circle and demand- approve a major disaster
ed the ouster of Gov. Wan- declaration for more than
da Vázquez. a dozen municipalities in
"We've had enough," said the island's southern region.
82-year-old Iris Guardiola More than 4,500 people re-
as she waved a tiny Puerto Protesters hold an image of Gov. Wanda Vázquez during a protest organized by Puerto Rican main in shelters.
Rican flag. "The people are singer Rene Perez of Calle 13 over emergency aid that until recently sat unused in a warehouse The governor fired the di-
tired of the abuse... of the amid ongoing earthquakes, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. rector of Puerto Rico's
lack of humanity. I am here Associated Press emergency management
helping those who cannot agency shortly after the in-
be here." One former protest leader, are paralyzing the coun- was sworn in briefly as gov- cident, as well as the secre-
The newest protest un- Rey Charlie, who jumped try...You have to think of ernor last year before the is- taries of the department of
leashed debate about to fame after leading hun- the consequences." land's Supreme Court ruled housing and family, as she
whether Puerto Ricans dreds of motorcycle rid- Charlie and other critics of that Vázquez was constitu- blamed them in part for not
should try to oust Vázquez ers in a demonstration last the recent protests argue tionally next in line after for- distributing the aid.
as the U.S. territory struggles summer, said he will not that the most effective mer Gov. Ricardo Rosselló The Puerto Rican singer,
to recover from a recent participate in the most re- strategy is to vote in the resigned following massive Pérez, said people should
6.4 magnitude earthquake cent one. upcoming general elec- demonstrations. not wait until the general
that killed one person and "A massive demonstration tions in November, in which Vázquez has only briefly elections to express their
damaged hundreds of like the one last year would Vázquez is seeking a sec- addressed the recent pro- discontent.
homes in the island's south- cause great damage, ond term as governor. But tests, warning of people "We're not going to wait un-
ern region. Officials are still damage that I think would first, she will face Pedro who want to talk about til November because the
awaiting millions of dollars be irreparable," he said. Pierluisi, a veteran politician "negative issues." politicians in this country
in federal funds for Hurri- "You are holding up the who served as the island's "We cannot allow groups are not going to wait until
cane Maria, a Category 4 economy, you are holding representative in Congress, with other interests to di- November to steal. They're
storm that hit in September up aid supplies to victims in the primary of their pro- vert our attention," she told going to steal starting now,"
2017. in the southern region, you statehood party. Pierluisi reporters on Wednesday. he said. q

Rio de Janeiro 2019 homicides fall as police killings surge

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The 1998. for snipers, who could tar- non-profit group Brazilian to do with the economic
number of homicides in The number of police killings get anyone carrying large Public Security Forum. crisis from 2014 to 2016. It
Rio de Janeiro plunged to fell every month through firearms. B ringing down Theories abound as to the was very strong, general-
a record low in 2019, while December to 124 since the crime is a priority for Witzel, reason for the national im- ized throughout the coun-
police killings surged to a high of 195 in July. who aims to shore up eco- provement — individual try, and caused a spike in
previously unseen level in Police killings are not in- nomic activity by boosting states adopting new secu- crime."
the same year, according cluded in the tally of ho- tourism. Rio is already a top rity policies, easing conflict Expansion of militias in Rio
to official figures. micides, and human rights destination, with tourists between rival drug fac- may also partly explain
There were 3,995 homicides activists have sounded the coming from around the tions, demographic shifts, lower reports of shootouts
in 2019, down 19% com- alarm over a lethal ap- world for Carnival and New the transfer of gang mem- in Rio. One estimate is that
pared to the prior year, proach that's rarely subject Year's festivities. bers to federal prisons, and 2.2 million people in the
said the security institute for to scrutiny. Experts have highlighted even proliferation of smart metro area — out of more
Rio de Janeiro state. It was Rio Gov. Wilson Witzel cele- that Rio's trend of falling phones keeping young than 12 million residents —
the lowest number since brated the results on social crime began in 2018, be- people off the streets. The live under the thumb of mi-
the state began keeping media, saying "our security fore Witzel was sworn in on most plausible explanation, litias. Originally made up of
records in 1991. policy is generating positive Jan. 1, 2019. Furthermore, it Kahn says, is something former police officers, fire-
However, as the official ho- results month after month." isn't correlated with more else: improvement in Brazil's fighters and military men
micide rate fell, killings by Witzel, who was elected lethal policing in Rio — economy. who wanted to combat
police surged 18% in 2019. in late 2018 on a law-and- even during Witzel's admin- The decline "is happening in lawlessness in their neigh-
They numbered 1,810, the order platform, has referred istration — and it mirrors a various Brazilian states, and borhoods, they have come
greatest amount since to criminals as "narco-ter- national trend, according in various crimes," he said to be widely recognized
the state began keeping rorists" and proposed using to Túlio Kahn, a sociologist by phone. "That has to do as a large security threat
records for such killings in helicopters as platforms and an associate at the a lot, in my interpretation, themselves.q