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Caribbean Matters: Five years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the suffering continues [1]
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Date: 2022-09-08
There are so many issues that currently afflict the island, it is impossible to cover them all in one story.
People are being forced to leave the island and relocate to the mainland for financial reasons, fueled also by gentrification and “Airbnb-itis.” There are continued blackouts and the lack of adequate response from LUMA Energy. Too many public schools have been closed, accompanied by a loss of teachers. Hospital closings and the relocation to the mainland of medical personnel due to insufficient Medicaid reimbursements is a looming disaster, and Vieques still has no hospital at all. Encroachment by developers onto the island’s beaches, which by law are open to the public, has sparked protests. There’s rising violence against women, alongside political corruption from the ruling elite and the heavy-handed rule of the U.S.-imposed “Junta.” Puerto Rico also faces grave environmental threats due to climate change, and its people struggle with the high cost of living—which is exacerbated by the antiquated Jones Act.
I haven’t even mentioned the impact of COVID-19, along with recurring health issues like zika, dengue, and the all too prevalent asthma and diabetes.
I’m proud to say we have been covering these issues here at Daily Kos. In September 2017, during the early days of the Maria crisis, we created a Community group here called SOS Puerto Rico. Though I founded LatinoKos here in 2011, I felt, as did other admins, that we needed to have a group which would specifically address Hurricane Maria and its aftermath. Since that time we have re-blogged 574 stories on Puerto Rico, and hopefully heightened the awareness of all things Boricua for the Daily Kos readership.
One of the things that makes the task of getting people who are not Puerto Rican engaged in Puerto Rican struggles more difficult? The bulk of news from island media sources, both televised and print, is in Spanish, which automatically leaves English-only speakers and readers out of the loop. Few people are willing to take the time to run print articles through clumsy and inaccurate online translators.
There are some excellent progressive websites, but they don’t cater to English-only speakers. The Centro Periodismo Investigativo, (Center for Investigative Journalism) is a source of in-depth reporting on island issues; however, very few stories are translated into English. On Twitter, most of their tweets are also in Spanish, like this one discussing a recent study pointing to an undercount of the death toll from Maria—by over 500 souls.
x Un nuevo estudio encontró que entre octubre de 2017 y marzo de 2018 hubo 514 muertes de puertorriqueños en exceso a la norma en EE UU, resultados que sugieren que el número oficial de muertos por el huracán María está subestimado.✍@jenifferwiscov1
https://t.co/YP98TR7W2E — Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (@cpipr) September 1, 2022
I wish some foundation or donor would give the Centro the money to support translation.
Folks who don’t speak Spanish have frequently asked me where I go to gather Puerto Rican news and views that they too can read, or who should they follow on social media for the same. Here are some of my suggestions.
There are a few mainstream television reporters who covered Maria and continue to report on Puerto Rico; most notably and visible is CBS News’ David Begnaud, who announced Monday that he will be traveling to the island for the Maria anniversary. He will also be reporting on the power issues created by LUMA Energy, and the collapse of the health care system. Of course, Begnaud will also be talking to Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and other elected officials, as well as “everyday folks.”
x CBS News’ @DavidBegnaud is headed to Puerto Rico to cover the challenges the island has seen since Hurricane Maria tore through it in 2017.
His stories will mark the anniversary of the storm during the week of September 20. pic.twitter.com/6mRKuo8q1Q — CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 5, 2022
While it’s good to see a major network reporter who does pay attention, there are several problematic issues which have been raised about Begnaud’s reportage. First, he doesn’t speak Spanish and requires a translator; this leaves much to be desired in grasping nuances. Secondly, Begnaud, by virtue of of his CBS News status, tends to report uncritically on some of the same elected officials who are part of the problem. Thirdly, with no background in Puerto Rican-U.S. history and politics, Begnaud isn’t really able to contextualize what he is reporting on.
Still, he is really making an effort, and I was elated to see him share discussions of the current health care crisis and retention of medical professionals—in Puerto Ricans’ own words.
First, medical student Carlos Bosques breaks down the overall crisis.
x Carlo Bosques is a medical student at the University of Puerto Rico Medical School. Training & retaining students like him is critical to the health care system in P.R. which is bleeding doctors who are leaving for the states for better pay. Here’s Carlo’s call for urgent action: pic.twitter.com/6dnLYBJfHM — David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 1, 2022
Next, Dr. Hiram Rodríguez advocates for medical professionals and offers solutions.
x I asked Dr. @DonHiramMD - a physician in Puerto Rico - to share with us a video regarding the latest development in the health care crisis in Puerto Rico as well as his opinion on solutions. He’s been an outspoken advocate for doctors and medical staff. pic.twitter.com/HJISJK3cEo — David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 5, 2022
Dánica Coto makes frequent appearances in Caribbean Matters. She’s a print journalist who reports for the Associated Press from San Juan. She’s trilingual (she also covers Haiti), and I suggest anyone who wants to be more informed on what’s happening in Puerto Rico and Haiti follow her.
x An international banker accused of bribing Puerto Rico’s then-governor to undermine an investigation into his institution turned himself in on Wednesday, almost a month after he was charged in federal court:
https://t.co/c6N8eCGHOM — Dánica Coto (@danicacoto) August 31, 2022
There are also independent media sources of note. Top of my list is Latino Rebels.
We started as a group of like-minded individuals who knew that social media is real and here to stay. We believe in authentic, unfiltered and independent voices. With over 500 contributors, our stories range from reported articles to opinion pieces. Just because we publish the opinions of our contributors doesn’t mean that their opinions necessarily reflect the views of our editorial team. As a result, we have been publishing stories through our main site, our Facebook page, our Twitter account, as well as our Instagram and YouTube pages. We are proud to have developed a very engaged community that is bilingual, bicultural, mobile, savvy, and doesn’t want to be sold.
Latino Rebels was founded by Julio Ricardo Varela, who often amplifies the videos and experiences of everyday people on the island.
x This video was taken today in #HatoRey near the Dept of Education @lumaenergypr #PuertoRico pic.twitter.com/scG7EdUual — Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) September 3, 2022
The Rebels’ coverage isn’t limited to happenings on the island.
x On Sunday, August 28, a coalition of Puerto Rican independence groups and their allies gathered outside a hedge fund’s office building in Midtown Manhattan to protest its predatory lending practices. (Reporting by @jamesjbaratta)#PuertoRico #NewYork
https://t.co/AXGUm0zwxC — Latino Rebels (@latinorebels) September 6, 2022
For on-the-scene, extended video coverage of events and protests on the island, Carlos Berríos Polanco is my go-to person. He usually posts his video coverage headlines in English to provide context.
x Spokesperson representing teachers spoke as well talking about the impact these blackouts have had on their ability to teach. pic.twitter.com/bOhPvT5CZv — carlos (vibe describer) (@Vaquero2XL) September 3, 2022
He was one of the journalists, clearly labeled “Press,” who was attacked and pepper sprayed by police at a “Fuera LUMA” protest last month.
x Journalists, Protesters Attacked by Police at LUMA Protest in Puerto Rico by @Vaquero2XL for @latinorebels
https://t.co/bHUDacGUhe — Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) August 26, 2022
In addition to following these sources, be sure to amplify the English-language social media posts of those who regularly cover events on the island. A retweet costs nothing!
Truly, the medical crisis is worth highlighting:
x Also Puerto Rico today:
• Health insurers don’t wanna pay for childbirth, so there’s only 100 practicing obstetricians
• HIMA Fajardo now no longer does child deliveries, which leaves only one hospital in PR’s east that does
• San Jorge Children’s Hospital is going bankrupt pic.twitter.com/p8rLEOoIF8 — midnucas #FueraLUMA (@midnucas) September 2, 2022
Puerto Ricans are being left to die.
x If you're in Puerto Rico and you or a relative have a stroke, get in line, because there's just three neurovascular specialists for three million people, none of them work at the public trauma hospital, and the neurosurgery program at UPR was decertified
https://t.co/mTLOKeduk5 — midnucas #FueraLUMA (@midnucas) September 1, 2022
East Harlem filmmaker and adjunct professor Andrew Padilla posts primarily in English, and frequently offers critiques of media coverage of the island.
x Puerto Rico doesn’t need another decontextualized “nothing works , everyone is corrupt & incompetent” story
You have the receipts & contacts ( ex @cpipr ) to do a story for a US audience placing #LumaEnergy ‘s failures in the broader context of US colonial rule - I hope you do
https://t.co/pXkFmokXPY — Andrew J. Padilla 🇵🇷 (@apadillafilm6) September 2, 2022
Organizations like Power4PuertoRico are important because they keep an eye on the federal government and legislation.
#Power4PuertoRico is a national coalition of the Puerto Rican Diaspora and allies working full-time and year-round for federal policies and legislation that will support Puerto Rico’s just recovery, economic growth and self-sufficiency.
This week, the organization is pushing back against the myth of “resilience” often used to glorify Puerto Ricans’ survival in the face of terrible circumstances—and to justify not providing aid.
x ✊ SAVE THE DATE | Resistant, Not Resilient: A Hurricane Maria Commemoration -
https://t.co/OAv9xponvk pic.twitter.com/KhOiZ5dXWx — Power4PuertoRico (@Pwr4PuertoRico) September 2, 2022
Not everything happening on the island can be posted in English, but one editorial cartoonist I follow, Kike Estrada, captions his work in Spanish.
He was born Puerto Rican in the city of New York, back in the year 58 of the last century. He always knew he wanted to be a graphic artist and cartoonist. He grew up in Puerto Rico (too much, he now weighs 240 pounds). He studied at the Luchetti High School of Arts, in Santurce. Then at the School of Plastic Arts of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and later at the Massachusetts College of Arts, in the city of Boston. It didn't end in any of them. His works have been exhibited in various places on Planet Earth. Right now he works in his studio on a mountain in the countryside of Puerto Rico. He publishes in the Claridad Weekly of Puerto Rico and makes a daily graphic commentary on social networks. He works in Graphic Design when he has no money.
Estrada’s screen name is Planetakike1; this weekend, he posted a cartoon on the island’s doctor shortage due to low Medicaid reimbursement, entitled “We Are Sorry.”
Translation:
(bubble on the left — patient in a bed speaking) “Doctor!” (answer — bubble on the right} “We’re sorry. At this time all (3) of our neurosurgeons are occupied. The others got tired of the abuses and outrages of the medical plans Please hold on and try again”
I recently discovered caricaturist Jesús Ortiz Torres, whose work I admire, and whose recent statement on Hurricane Maria is an apt way to close today’s post.
x A 5 años del huracán María: todavía hay más 3,600 hogares con toldos azules. Es un crimen de odio contra el pobre puertorriqueño!!! pic.twitter.com/NIwb6atHgk — Jesús Ortiz Torres (@JesusOrtizTorr) September 5, 2022
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