Orlando, FL – On Saturday, July 18, about 50 members of the Puerto Rican community and allies in Orlando gathered on the corner of Semoran and Curry Ford to demand Puerto Rico’s independence from the U.S., the dissolution of the fiscal oversight and management board, and an end to the United States’ colonial occupation. The rally and march coincided with the annual Marcha Por La Independencia happening in San Juan.
The event was organized by Floriboris – a local group that represents the interests of the Puerto Rican community in Florida and aims to unite Puerto Ricans across the state through culture, education, community-building and action.
Attendees gathered on the corner of the busy intersection waving signs that read “Viva Borikén libre” and “Escencia no va” while shouting chants including “¡Perto Rico no se vende, Puerto Rico se defiende!” and “¡Par arriba, pa abajo, la Junta pal carajo!” The rally also commemorated Father Roberto Morales, a local priest and community leader who dedicated his life to the struggle for Puerto Rican independence.
Speakers highlighted the plight inflicted on Puerto Ricans by the U.S. colonial occupation and the need for resistance and independence. “La Junta is an unelected, undemocratic body that controls Puerto Rico’s economy without the consent of our people,” said Gisselle Bermudez, an organizer with Diaspora Pa’lante Collective. “It has enriched corporations while imposing austerity measures on our communities, privatizing public services, cutting pensions and closing schools and hospitals in Puerto Rico. After 128 years of colonial rule, we say enough! Our liberation cannot wait.”
The rally also condemned Escencia, a widely unpopular $2 billion dollar luxury complex currently in development that would sit on 2000 acres of seized Puerto Rican land to siphon the wealth of the island into the hands of capitalists.
The long history of U.S. military testing in Puerto Rico was highlighted as well. “The military out of Vieques was a 60-year struggle. For 60 years they tested all kinds of weapons in Vieques, including radioactive experiments,” said Rafael Olivera-Cintrón, an organizer with Floriboris. “Now, the population in Vieques suffers heavily from higher rates of cancer than other parts of the island. Vieques is left behind. Vieques doesn’t have a functional hospital and a functional clinic because of this whole colonial structure that prevents us from being able to take care of ourselves!”
The group marched down the streets with lively chants, waving Puerto Rican flags and carrying a banner that read “Independcia ya! Despierten Boricuas!” People passing by on foot and in cars showed overwhelming support by honking in solidarity, singing and dancing, and joining in on chants, showing that the struggle for Puerto Rico’s independence is a popular sentiment in Orlando.
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