A peaceful protest which coincided with the last hours of this legislative session was dissolved with tear gas and clubs, leaving least half a dozen students and professors injured.
To keep the demonstrators from entering the historic building where the House and the Senate were meeting for the last time until August, police rapidly mobilized some 100 forces, including members of the Tactical Operation of the Mounted Police.
The demonstration, organized by the National Coordinating Body of University Campuses, CONARU for its Spanish acronym) began at 3. Shortly afterwards, a group of protesters tried to enter the Capitol, prompting police to swing their clubs and their tear gas.
One student was injured by a blow, the others by gas, including professors and legislative consultants.
The protest was called to repudiate new laws that students allege will affect the future of the University of Puerto Rico. The young woman injured was identified as Nelly Camille, a civil engineering student at the Mayagüez campus. Four other injured persons were taken to the Diagnostic and Treatment Center on Hoare Street in Santurce.
Another of the injured persons was Juan Ángel Gutiérrez, observer from the Bar Association and Amnesty International.
The Capitol infirmary also had to attend to people affected by tear gas.
Sancha justified blows against women
Police Superintendent José Figueroa Sancha called the protesters on the north side of the Capitol a "violent crowd" and justified the use of force and pepper gas against them, in a second clash at approximately 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“The police were where they were meant to be and they acted against a violent crowd," said Figueroa Sancha. "Nobody assumed the responsibility [for the demonstration] and they vandalized vehicles," said the police chief, who could not say how many persons were arrested for the alleged vandalism.
He said the second police attack, this time with the Mounted Police, was when the demonstrators allegedly "began to destroy property and to throw objects, bottles and stones against the police."
Questioned about the evidence of the damaged cars, Figueroa Sancha said only that "the investigation will show them, they are taped destroying property. When I have the opportunity I will show you that they destroyed vehicles and took the air out of tires.
He said that with the use of pepper gas and clubs, "we avoided physical confrontation. We dispersed them."
He said that "the Capitol [security] superintendent must explain why access to the building was closed. However, he later said that he "was here from the beginning when they said that they were going to take the capitol. I, myself, gave the instructions."
Figueroa Sancha said that they will do "whatever is necessary" for the security of the Capitol grounds.
Several journalists were also affected by the pepper gas thrown just when they had finished their live reports on radio and television, and they had to run into the Capitol to avoid it.
The demonstrators culminated the protest behind the violent actions.
Call to protest outside police headquarters
To counteract the brutality, the Socialist Movement convoked a demonstration for Friday at 5 p.m. in front of the General Police Headquarters in Hato Rey.
"The people will not tolerate police brutality," said SM representative Alvin Couto de Jesús. "This brazen aggression began before the mobilization of the people to resist the imposition of the bitter medicine as a neoliberal solution tp the economic crisis," said Couto de Jesús.
Couto de Jesús said that on Wednesday in the Capitol, several young people from SM demanded the right to enter the stairs to the Senate floors to document in our news organizations the imposition of these laws which the people do not like."
He said that “together with colleagues of other independent media, press, students, labor union members and social actions.. And what for? To approve a sick budget, that puts the crisis directly on our shoulders the crisis that the rich provoked and then approve legislation that violates university autonomy and environmental protection in the Northeast Corridor. According to Couto, "it is in this context that the legislature tries to act with political impunity, closing access to the Senate floor through a call to all the people to show our most energetic repudiation.
What is the protest about?
Also most student protests are stupid and I support the hitting of dumb collage kids with sticks.
Fucking boricuas probably got it coming.
That would suck if something like that happened in America.
:rofl
That would suck if something like that happened in America.
i saw some show on television a few years back where some cops (i think it was in haiti?) took this dude's shoes off and beat the living shit out of his bare-bottomed feet with police batons
apparently that's like a regular thing there (wherever it was)
I'm pretty sure they segregate the ex-cops from general population.
BTW, it is actually ILLEGAL for the Capitol building to be closed off while it's in session. It's actually literally against Puerto Rico's Constitution. They had barred REPORTERS from the session as well, so no one could see what was going on inside. Considering it was the last meeting before August, and that they were going to decide on things related to the budget...well, you can see why students and professors who were being fucked over by the Administration, might want to get a word in.
Where did you hear that from, Ichirou? More Facebook sources? That's good journalism!
Ichirou, can you please turn down the asshurt by a few notches? kplzthx
I agree with Willco. I'm not going to shed tears over students breaking the rules who get some push back from the authorities. Cops are generally an easy target of rage for the socially impotent, like the students who need to take it up with the government, not with cops doing their jobs.
I'm not trying to derail the thread, but I wish Ichi would focus on case at a time instead of jumping between topics, linking reports of cops' corruption in PR, because I'm not sure what we're discussing anymore.
Doesn't make it any less true. She's also a journalism professor, btw, not the type to make shit up. It's also happened before in previous protests related to this university budget issue. I can definitely find at least a couple of articles about police not bringing their badges to protests so they can't have complaints filed against them.Yeah and many ambulance drivers didn't carry their badges on them so that the cops won't report them.
Last Active: Today at 04:05:32 PM
He ran away with his tail between his legs after getting owned in all holes?
Here's another video. You can even see some of the cops playing with their batons, eager to unleash hell on fucking university students.
BTW, the island governor is accusing the protesters of waving the pepper spray back in the direction of the officers. He apparently has never heard of the concept of "wind."
You can also see mounted police in both videos. Hmmm...
[youtube=560,345]FJtapA-gMIs[/youtube]
I went to go eat breakfast with my family. :lolBut dude, they were breaking car windows and stuff. do you think there where dead babies inside or what's up?
So far, the only evidence Ichirou has been able to muster up is Facebook quotes, anecdotal evidence and an article referencing a politician from an opposing party to the current super majority. That would be on par with Republicans claiming that Democrats were making up death threats following the HR 3962 vote in terms of things I take at face value.
And he has still refused to answer whether or not if Puerto Rico requires permits and protest organizers to contact representatives to enter the Capitol building, and if so, if these protestors did either of these things.
As stated before, if these protestors were barred from the Capitol building unconstitutionally, then there is a right to civil dissent - but cops enforcing orders to block entrance to the building with non-fatal dispersement tactics should not get the blame, but rather the chief of police and governor.
Here's another video. You can even see some of the cops playing with their batons, eager to unleash hell on fucking university students.
BTW, the island governor is accusing the protesters of waving the pepper spray back in the direction of the officers. He apparently has never heard of the concept of "wind."
You can also see mounted police in both videos. Hmmm...
[youtube=560,345]FJtapA-gMIs[/youtube]
Broader debate aside:
Perhaps I need to get my vision checked, because watching that video, I didn't see any cops "playing" with their batons, I saw a line of cops with their batons tucked under their arms. Nor could I make out any mounted units. ???
Yeah I figured this thread was going lost once ichirou made a comparison between a protest in the capitol and a cop murdering somebody because of a traffic violation.
Forget it, Jose. I'm a troll who will never admit to losing an argument, no matter how much factual evidence you bring in.
One is an example of police abuse, the other is not. If you're going to make a sweeping generalization about the police force than you need to use more consistent arguments, meaning you can't compare murder to non-violent riot control. It's obvious anybody without knowledge or bias about the cops of puerto rico is going to ignore you.Yeah I figured this thread was going lost once ichirou made a comparison between a protest in the capitol and a cop murdering somebody because of a traffic violation.There was no comparison, you fucking imbecile. It was an example of more abuse from PR cops. You stupid sonofabitch.
How many more random cop threads should we expect from you, Ichi?
Here's another video. You can even see some of the cops playing with their batons, eager to unleash hell on fucking university students.
BTW, the island governor is accusing the protesters of waving the pepper spray back in the direction of the officers. He apparently has never heard of the concept of "wind."
You can also see mounted police in both videos. Hmmm...
[youtube=560,345]FJtapA-gMIs[/youtube]
Broader debate aside:
Perhaps I need to get my vision checked, because watching that video, I didn't see any cops "playing" with their batons, I saw a line of cops with their batons tucked under their arms. Nor could I make out any mounted units. ???
lol, Boogie defending the cops, why am I not surprised?
Lol@^ boogie defending cops as usual
Your previous half assed attempts to indict cops lead to no one taking you seriously today.
Like I said earlier, Ichirou needs to turn down the asshurt by a few notches. Getting worked up over someone's posts is a waste of time and makes you look like some unbalanced overcompensating distinguished mentally-challenged fellow.
Ricans beating Ricans, win/win am i rite? :smugI'd rather white people beat some ricans. Or maybe some black people. Because then the black people will go to jail and the ricans will be beat but can still cook my lunch. That's really fucking win/win.
Ricans beating Ricans, win/win am i rite? :smugI'd rather white people beat some ricans. Or maybe some black people. Because then the black people will go to jail and the ricans will be beat but can still cook my lunch. That's really fucking win/win.