[News] Puerto Rico - Student vigil caps day of violence

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Student vigil caps day of violence

“We shall overcome” the last word
February 10, 2011
by Juan A. Hernandez
<mailto:jhernandez at prdailysun.net>jhernandez at prdailysun.net
http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Student-vigil-caps-day-of-violence


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Violence escalated Wednesday noon at the 
University of Puerto Rico after students and 
police clashed over the painting of slogans on 
the street in front of the José M. Lázaro Library.

More than 50 students were painting messages on 
the asphalt of what has come to be known as 
“Conscience Street” in front of the university 
library when a police officer started videotaping 
the activity. Indignant, some of the students 
questioned the reasons for his keeping tabs on them.

“We are not doing anything wrong. We are just 
painting here. We have the right to do so,” said 
one of the students to the policewoman holding 
the video camera, who was immediately flanked by 
a group of some 12 police officers.

The situation turned violent when one of the 
students allegedly tried to take the camera from 
the officer, while others shouted insults to the 
group of agents. Almost immediately, a riot 
police squad came onto the scene and without any 
previous warning some started beating the 
students with ball of their metal-tipped batons.

In similar situations riot police have been 
mobilized in a phalanx formation to create a 
perimeter and gain control of the area, but on 
Wednesday afternoon the orders seemed different. 
Some 30 officers charged down on the students 
wielding their batons indiscriminately and hitting anyone within reach.

Many of the students fled from the scene to a 
safer distance while others sought refuge in the 
library. Others yet stayed their ground and 
confronted the police. Some of the students flung 
the paint containers at the advancing police 
staining many of them, or threw stones at them. 
Others even resorted to hand-to- hand combat, 
managing to grab one or two riot police by the 
neck and hitting them until they could take them to the ground.

Students not participating in the demonstration 
were also pushed, hit and arrested by the police 
if they questioned or resisted the actions. In 
the end,  21 students were arrested and taken to 
different police stations throughout the San Juan 
metropolitan area. Female students were taken to 
the Cupey Police Station, while the others were 
taken to the Loíza Street and Monte Hatillo 
stations. Charges against the arrested students were undisclosed.

Earlier, a group of university employees 
affiliated to the Brotherhood of Exempt and 
Non-Teaching Employees (HEEND for its Spanish 
acronym) had stormed into the lobby of campus 
chancellor Ana R. Guadalupe’s office and staged a 
sit-in while announcing their intention of 
staying there until the police was ordered off the campus.

At the same time, university professors 
affiliated with the Puerto Rican Association of 
University Professors (APPU for its Spanish 
acronym) had been trying to meet with Guadalupe 
in an effort to negotiate an end to the 
“harassment, persecution and physical abuse 
against university students, teachers and 
employees.” By 5 p.m., Guadalupe had not agreed to the meeting.

“We are announcing a 24-hour work stoppage, 
starting today [Wednesday] at 3 p.m. to protest 
police presence in our university,” said APPU president María Gisela Rosado.

In a written statement distributed to the press, 
Guadalupe condemned the day’s violence and urged 
that “wisdom and prudence” prevail.
“This is a moment to come together in our 
commitment, as academicians, to face these times 
of hardship affecting our institution,” said Guadalupe.

The chancellor denounced the student and labor 
leadership’s actions of the day, falling short of 
blaming them for “vandalism,” referring to the painting of the street.

Guadalupe called the announced APPU work stoppage 
“illegal,” and urged all university personnel to 
come to work today [Thursday] and comply with 
their duties and responsibilities.

Guadalupe said the police will continue to stay 
on campus to guarantee institutional order.

The day ended with a march of citizens, many 
dressed in white, who entered the campus to take 
part in a vigil in solidarity with the students 
and to demand that police be ordered off the UPR campuses.

During the vigil, a group of students gained 
access to the university tower and unfurled a 
gigantic black banner that reached from the tower 
balcony to the ground reading “VENCEREMOS” (We will win).




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