by Coco Das |
A few days ago, Ricardo Rosselló, the Governor of Puerto Rico who sent 900 pages of disgustingly offensive text messages and stole Hurricane Maria relief funds, was forced to make his first concession to 100.000 protesters demanding his resignation. He is stepping down as head of his party and will not stand for re-election next year.
Protesters clogged the main highway. Cruise ships had to cancel their trips. Police firing tear gas did not deter them. The legislation had to start considering impeachment. Celebrities like Ricky Martin joined the protests. People filled the streets again after Rosselló’s refusal to resign. He has now announced he will resign on August 2.
This is a pattern that happens over and over again. Mass protests create a political crisis. The leaders scramble to quell the upheaval with minor concessions. The protesters don’t take no for an answer. They refuse to leave the streets. The regime is forced out, maybe after weeks, maybe after months. What happens next varies from place to place, but the pattern of protest, concessions, protest, demand met is always the same.
Egypt showed us the way. South Korea showed us the way. Armenia showed us the way. Algeria showed us the way. Sudan showed us the way. The people of Puerto Rico are showing us the way right now. If they can do it, we can do it in every major city in this country. As this meme shows, “it’s not that goddam complicated.”
Don’t let anyone keep making excuses for why this can’t happen here. The world doesn’t want to hear excuses. They want us to act like the people of Puerto Rico and remove a regime that is setting the world on fire. When we begin, the whole world will take heart. When we win, the whole world will celebrate.
In the name of humanity, Trump and Pence must go. This is how we make them.
Coco Das (@coco_das) is a contributing editor to RefuseFascism.org