JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A lively march and rally demanding independence for Puerto Rico drew some 60 people to City Hall here Aug. 29.
“Puerto Rico has been occupied illegally by the U.S. for 128 years,” Jason Cruz, president of Victory in Puerto Rico, the group that organized the action, told participants. “Independence is the only way to stop the atrocities our people face.”
He described the devastating impact of persistent water shortages and school closures, explaining they were a result of the actions of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, appointed 10 years ago and charged with controlling all government spending there. The board — widely known in Puerto Rico as the Junta — prioritizes debt payments to Washington over meeting the needs of the people.
“The U.S. has used Puerto Rico as a staging ground for its aggression across Latin America and the Caribbean for decades,” Craig Honts, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. Congress, told the rally, above.
He pointed to Washington’s escalating attacks on Cuba today. “The fight for independence for Puerto Rico, to defend Cuba’s sovereignty and its socialist revolution, and to advance the interests of working people here in the U.S. are tied together,” he said.
Viannca Vélez, a Jersey City resident of Puerto Rican descent, pointed to powerful struggles on the island over the last three decades. “It was our people who fought in 1999 to get the U.S. military out of the island of Vieques. In 2010 students fought to stop the doubling of tuition fees. People’s actions forced out Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in 2019. Millions survived the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria because they came together and helped each other.
“We need to organize Puerto Ricans to get the U.S. boot off our necks,” she said.