VivirLatino

Last night I attended an educational meeting at the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center in el Barrio NYC that featured William Ramirez, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Puerto Rico. The meeting was to update those in solidarity with the students and other protesters in Puerto Rico as to what is happening on the ground and what are some possible next steps, in terms of fighting back against the brutality that has been unleashed upon students exercising their constitutional rights.

Ramirez lamented the lack of U.S. media coverage of the goings on and expressed how Al Jazeera and the BBC have both been on the ground in Puerto Rico demonstrating that the international media seems more interested than U.S. media (a complaint VivirLatino shares). Ramirez urged the audience that grew to about 75 people, to compare how police in Wisconsin are treating protesters and the media coverage given to those actions to how police are treating protesters in Puerto Rico and media coverage (or lack thereof).

In response to the U.S. media ignoring the situation and various gag rules that have been put on students by the University of Puerto Rico, the students have rallied behind the slogan “Callar Jamas” – Never Silenced. Certainly the videos, images and first hand accounts circulating via social media and independent media networks is proof of this slogan in action.
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