Here we go. Let the Puerto Rican politics begin.
In one corner, you have the University of Puerto Rico students who are striking to protest a $800 raise in their annual tuition, US Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, and several sympathizers who in general are more pro-commonwealth and anti-statehood.
One image from February 12 at the campus of the University of Puerto Rico
In the other corner you have the Frente Pro Universidad Abierta (FUA, or Open University Coalition), controversial Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuño, and several sympathizers who in general are pushing Puerto Rico to become the 51st state.
Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuño
Blue vs. red? Democrats vs. Republicans? Nationalists vs. Conservatives? Liberals vs. Tea Party? Yes, it’s all there in Puerto Rico, and it has been a longtime national pastime.
Today, a letter sent from one member of FUA to Congressman Gutiérrez highlights some of the issues coming from the students who do not support the strike, which had grown violent last week before police left the campus. We came across this letter from the Periódico La Razón, a blog hosted by the Puerto Ricans’ Statehood Students Association.
February 21, 2011
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
The Honorable Luis V. Gutierrez
2266 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-1304
Congressman Gutierrez,
I am extremely concerned regarding your recent remarks on the situation occurring in the University of Puerto Rico. As a student of the Mayagüez Campus, I have been doing everything possible to fight against my university being closed, vandalized and disaccredited by radical leftist groups.
I am currently one of the spokesmen for “Frente Pro Universidad Abierta” (FUA), a group that has been leading a campaign to keep all the campuses open and violence-free. As leaders of the opposition to the strike, we have been threatened, insulted and even physically harmed by those “students” that are part of the strike.
The student assemblies have become circuses that by no means function in a democratic way. Our civil liberties and rights have been infringed by those that you so passionately defended during your remarks. The police and authorities have done everything possible to defend our right to study and protect us from those that intend to harm us just because we have a different opinion or point of view.
Those students that you defended are responsible for millions of dollars of wasted federal aid funds, destroying public property, fellow students getting injured, forcefully getting people out of classrooms using smoke bombs, among many other harmful situations. The Río Piedras Campus has become a battlefield for those students that think of themselves as guerrilla soldiers.
With all due respect, you have defended those that are destroying my university, my alma mater, for misplaced political reasons. I sincerely recommend further review of the situation since you have placed the title of victims on those that are the oppressors, the striking students. Nobody knows what is really going on in the University of Puerto Rico unless you live it and experience it. We, the students, have had our fair share of violence towards us, but not from the government or the administration, but from our peers that supposedly are there to “defend our rights”.
I honestly hope that this situation is rectified in Congress as soon as possible. I am an American citizen too and, once again, my civil rights have been infringed by those that you so passionately defended.
Thank you for your time,
Eduardo A. Náter Ramos
Transportation Engineering Graduate Student, University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez Campus
cc: The Honorable John A. Boehner
1011 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3508
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
235 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-0508
We applaud Mr. Náter Ramos for writing to an elected official and using his right to contact Gutiérrez. However, we do have a few questions about this letter that would love to have Mr. Náter Ramos respond. If he reads this blog, he can leave a comment and we can ask him these questions:
- Mr. Náter Ramos, are you a student at the Río Piedras Central Campus, which is in the heart of metropolitan San Juan, or do you attend the Mayagüez campus, which is on the west side of the island, which is about 160 km from the Río Piedras campus?
- What leftist groups are you referring to? Is there an organized leftist group that is directing these strikes?
- So the Puerto Rican government and police force has not harmed UPR students, but UPR students are harming each other?
- If the striking students are the oppressors, how do you explain the incidents of police violence that have been committed on these oppressors?
Thanks. Hope you can answers these questions for my readers.
In PR are violating civil and constitutional rights to thousands of students who wish to complete a career and so-called students ‘huelguitas’ are directly responsible for wanting to strike as if the UPR was an employer and they like working with the right kind to strike, our constitution gives them the right to protest, but not to prevent those who wish to study the course and see their normal duties affected by the demonstration, because a noisy minority, hidden and politically motivated by believing groups seeking to impose socialism ideals of a majority of students who take their lives sacrificing forward. 10 of the 11 campuses coexist with the police within the campusses. Only in Rio Piedras establishing these disturbances. Are or are a minority group, tell me, please.
Socialism? Can you prove that? Give me accountable and verifiable proof that socialism is now taking over the island and I will gladly report it. In the meantime, I find it hard to believe that a student in Mayagüez is having problems going to school in Mayagüez when the disturbances are happening in Río Piedras. So the UPi system is shutting down in Mayagüez because of a minority of students in Río Piedras? Again, send me links and proof and I will gladly report. And if you could get me to the anti-strike spokesperson, that would be great as well.
Yes, you have the right to attend the school, but people who have issues also have the right to protest. They don’t have the right to get brutalized by the police. I though Puerto Rico was America or are we really part of Latin America?
Gracias por compartir tus comentarios aquí. You are always welcome to add your opinions and thoughts.
It is very hard to comment on a blog that has an agenda. Please, do not report things as true when you are yourself “pro-huelga.” This is not an objective forum by no means. I totally agree with Wilfredo Ramos. The student have the right to protest but they are themselves infringing the rights of those who want to study. Nobody is trying to shut them up because they have the right to fight for what they believe in. However, these students have to understand that by them speaking of their freedom of speech rights, they have to refer to ALL THE STUDENTS EQUALLY. I was a part of the UPR from the 7th grade in the UHS until my graduation. I have seen great strikes that I was a part of and the most senseless strikes , most of them led by students who just want to sneak in political ideals and have nothing to do with representing the student body. I have been in assemblies where the “huelguistas” have attacked other students when the vote came out (by a vast majority) against the strike. And please, don’t even try to say that this did not happen because I was there and I lived it. I have been insulted during class because I would not support the strike. These extremist groups have the entire student body scared to speak up. And even the funniest thing, no matter what happens the strikes are not about negotiating, the strikes are about the administration giving in to the demands of the students. That is no negotiation, that is extortion.
We aren’t the New York Times. Just a blogger that believes in justice. Thanks for the comment.
Again, you have your opinion and we have ours. Welcome to America. Yeah the Department of Justice is also biased too.