LatinoJustice PRLDEF Statement on the Resignation of Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló

July 25, 2019

CONTACT: Elianne Ramos, [email protected], 212-739-7513 
 

LatinoJustice PRLDEF Statement on the Resignation of Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló

Below is a statement by Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, in response to the Resignation of Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló: 

On July 24, 2019, I witnessed the power of organizing, of street presence, of protest. We can never underestimate it. In Puerto Rico this was the power that changed a government. Decidedly. Nonviolently. Permanently.

This community victory fills me with hope and pride, and it energizes political accountability worldwide. Yet, this is the beginning, not the end. Puerto Rico, its island and its diaspora, is forever changed. This is the perfect time to address decolonization straight up and create a path towards a new Puerto Rico.

The resignation of one Governor is the culmination of this battle. The massive protests that forced the world’s biggest military power to withdraw from Vieques was the culmination of the previous battle. But the elimination of Puerto Rico’s colonial status will end this war. And our people will decide that too.