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<font face="Californian FB" size=5>Major Social Upheaval Takes Place in
Puerto Rico<br><br>
</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>"El Tipo Comun"
(The Common Guy, Roberto Garcia), from
<a href="http://primerahora.com/">primerahora.com</a>, sept 30,
2009</i></font> <br><br>
<font face="Californian FB" size=3>
The unsuspecting governor, smack in the middle of an important press
conference, missed being hit by a projectile by mere inches. The
projectile? Not a bullet, but an egg. We’re unsure if it was
a nationally produced Puerto Rican egg or an imported American egg.
Nonetheless, an outraged citizen calling himself The Common Guy
interrupted the press conference by screaming in outrage at governor Luis
Fortuno and throwing a slider that landed on a sign highlighting a new
development project the governor was announcing. As officers locked
the man in a bear hug and carted him off and as the press swarmed this
Common Guy, many things became suddenly clear. For starters, the
Common Guy has poor aim. But in addition, his public display of
resistance is not only transcendental for its raw expression of pain and
anger, but is also symbolic and representative of everyone’s frustration
and open outrage at the turn of events on the island.</font> <br><br>
<font face="Californian FB" size=3> Puerto Rico is witnessing the
kind of social, economic, and political upheaval not witnessed in
decades. This week, the government- the largest employer on the
island - laid off close to 17,000 workers, in its 2nd phase of downsizing
that was initiated in May of this year, with the release of around 5,000
workers. Over 20,000 government employees have lost their jobs in a
matter of months. Considering the fact that Puerto Rico ’s
unemployment rate is around 16%, it is obvious that the island continues
to confront a serious economic crisis. Government officials contend
that they inherited a bankrupt government from previous administrations
along with a huge debt load. They are scrambling to prevent their
credit ratings to be classified in the lowest of categories: the junk
rating. In order to do so, they passed a law declaring a fiscal
emergency, and part of the fiscal restructuring taking place is the
downsizing of the government work force.</font> <br><br>
<font face="Californian FB" size=3>This, however, also takes place
against a backdrop of other sorts. Incidents of police abuse are
being denounced at an increasing rate across the island, with a recent
incident involving university students targeted and attacked with batons
and indiscriminate use of tear gas by the police. Squatter
communities (also known as developers of rescued lands) have recently
been targeted by the conservative administration; these interventions
have also been characterized by the use of force against women and
children. Part of the fiscal emergency response has been to declare
the end of gains won by collective bargaining agreements, drawing a sharp
outcry from the union sector. Opposition political parties called
for a larger burden to be held by the rich and by large corporations,
only to be rebuked by the administration that has gone ahead with cost of
life increases in basic services and with layoffs which mostly affect the
ever-shrinking middle class. The conservative administration also
censured several books by renowned authors in the island’s schools, a
deed met with fierce opposition. The main political parties
continue to squabble publicly about future political roles and future
candidates for office, and opposition parties either have no presence or
struggle against marginalization by news media. Independence
advocates in September commemorated their most holiest of anniversaries
in remembrance of a historical insurrection in 1868 and of the 2005 FBI
murder of revolutionary leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios, with calls of unity,
revolution, and struggle with those affected. And to top it off,
the governor signed an executive order authorizing the use of the
National Guard to quell public disturbances and deal with national
emergencies. </font> <br><br>
<font face="Californian FB" size=3>Even the outlawed anti-colonial
guerrillas Los Macheteros re-appeared and issued a statement on September
23 calling for struggle and for solidarity with the affected working
class.</font> <br><br>
<font face="Californian FB" size=3> The union movement has now taken
center stage and has declared a national strike for October 15,
2009. Union leaders are publicly expressing that if some of the
more painful measures – like layoffs - are not rolled back, they will
move ahead with a general strike, bringing the country to a complete halt
in order to force the government to change course.</font> <br><br>
<font face="Californian FB" size=3> The general public, alarmed by
the turn of events, finds comic relief in the egg-sistence of amusing
public displays of anger expressed towards the person blamed for several
social crises: the governor. The administration, however, is deeply
worried. Aside from losing the next election, they know that the
seeds of a general insurrection are being sowed: unemployment,
discontent, desperation, and fear. In light of the disturbing
developments on the island, including the ever climbing crime &
suicide rates, the general public, or the Common Guy, has reached a level
of tension that is culminating in direct action.</font> <br><br>
<font face="Californian FB" size=3>Simply put, the common person in
Puerto Rico is tired of being abused by their government. It is no
eggs-aggeration to conclude that something is amiss in Puerto Rico and to
wonder where this social upheaval will lead to. In the interim, the
Common Guy will continue to look for simple ways to fight back.</font>
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