Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 18 July 2019
Fed up Puerto Ricans protest, demanding governor resign

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN already."
Associated Press Martin said he was flying to
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Puerto Rico to march along
— Karla Villalón has three with other Latin music stars
elementary-age children from the island, including
and an 81-year-old grand- singer/producer Benito A.
mother. Martínez Ocasio, known
Her kids have been up- as Bad Bunny, and rap-
rooted twice in two years per René Pérez, known as
when first one school, then Residente, who released
another, was closed by a song online Wednesday
budget cuts under Gov. Ri- morning calling people to
cardo Rosselló. Her grand- the streets.
mother, a retired teacher, "This is coming out early so
is anguished over the possi- you can eat it for break-
bility of losing her pension in fast," Residente raps on
future rounds of cutbacks. the song, "Sharpening the
Villalón was outraged Knives." ''Fury is the only po-
when Rosselló's former litical party that unites us."
education secretary was In colonial Old San Juan,
arrested and accused of police were erecting con-
steering millions in improper crete barricades and shop
contracts to politically con- Karla Villalon stands at Fortaleza Street near the executive mansion as she protests against gov- owners were covering
nected contractors. Then ernor Ricardo Rossello, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. store windows with metal
hundreds of pages of on- Associated Press sheeting or plywood as if
line chats between Rosselló a hurricane were coming.
and members of his admin- day afternoon. "My kids' It is struggling to emerge dreds of schools have been The multi-colored umbrel-
istration leaked, revealing classrooms have mold in from a debt-driven finan- closed to save money and las that form a photoge-
the men mocking women, them.... There's just so much cial failure and receive fed- a wide range of social ser- nic awning over the street
the handicapped and vic- outrage that's been build- eral funding to help recov- vices and pensions are be- in front of the governor's
tims of Hurricane Maria. ing over time." ery from Hurricane Maria. ing cut back, or are under mansion were taken down.
Villalón has had enough. That feeling was rippling The September 2017 storm threat. The scandal erupted as
"It's the final straw," the across Puerto Rico Wednes- left thousands dead in its "Puerto Rico has suffered so Rosselló's former secretary
31-year-old homemaker day — the feeling of a wake due to the collapse much and we can't deal of education and five oth-
said as she prepared to people fed up with neglect of the island's electrical sys- with the cynicism of these er people were arrested on
march with thousands of from Washington and the tem and a months-long fail- leaders anymore," singer charges of steering federal
other Puerto Ricans from U.S. territory's own govern- ure to provide care to the Ricky Martin said in a video money to unqualified, polit-
the capital to the gover- ment. elderly and medically vul- message posted online. ically connected contrac-
nor's residence Wednes- The island is mired in crises. nerable. Since then, hun- "Enough already. Enough tors. q

Rio governor: rising police killings 'normal,' will continue

By MARCELO SILVA DE SOU- Command - has ties to He- criminals resonating with
SA zbollah. He provided no voters in the violent state.
Associated Press evidence to support the During his campaign he
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — claim. proposed using helicopters
Amid a soaring number "Are we going to be tol- as platforms for sharpshoot-
of police killings in Rio de erant toward Hezbollah, ers, who could target any-
Janeiro, the state's tough- which acts with bombs and one carrying a weapon.
talking governor said Tues- missiles against the popula- Mauricio Santoro, a po-
day that it was "normal" for tion of Israel? No, we are litical scientist at the State
the rate to increase and will going to act with rigor, as University of Rio de Janeiro,
likely keep rising during his does Israel," he said. said the rise of Witzel should
administration. "The message is: If you do be seen in the context of a
Gov. Wilson Witzel said the not want to die, do not walk generalized disbelief in the
high number of killings by with a rifle in the street," he political class and an eco-
police in the state of Rio is a said during a meeting with nomic crisis that battered
consequence of his policy foreign correspondents. the state.
of "confronting terrorists," In this Jan. 3, 2019 file photo, Rio de Janeiro Gov. Wilson Wit- According to official fig- "Like Bolsonaro, Witzel - an
as he calls drug trafficking zel attends the swearing-in ceremony for the new president of ures, police lethality in Rio unknown - benefited from
state-run oil company Petrobras, Roberto Castello Branco, in Rio
groups. de Janeiro, Brazil. has reached its highest lev- the current idea that the
"It is normal" that there are Associated Press el since 2003, when records entire political elite is cor-
more deaths, said Witzel, began. Homicides by crimi- rupt and incapable of of-
who is known for his contro- Police in Rio killed 714 peo- saying it is due to police nals have fallen by 24% so fering an alternative," San-
versial comments and ties ple in the first five months of "hitting hard" at criminals. far this year. toro said. "Many (voters)
to far right President Jair his year - almost five a day - Witzel also said "an investi- Witzel went from being al- chose a harsh approach
Bolsonaro. "We live in a situ- 20% more than in 2018, ac- gation will soon reveal" that most unknown in Brazil to as a manifestation of their
ation of confrontation and cording to official figures. one of the largest criminal being the governor of Rio, despair and the lack of
the criminals are testing the The governor, a former factions in Brazil, which one of the largest states government perspectives"
limits of the police and the judge with a military past, controls drug trafficking in in the country, with his dis- on the violence impacting
government." shrugged off the increase, many Rio slums - the Red course of zero tolerance for them.q