Professor David Skeel (l)
Editor’s Note: Latino Rebels has received the following statement from Penn Law students.
We, the undersigned students of Penn Law, oppose Professor David Skeel’s selection as the recipient of the Beacon Award for his service on Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight and Management Board.
The Oversight Board is known by the people of Puerto Rico as “la junta,” an antidemocratic regime defending the interests of the financial sector at the expense of the life and health of Puerto Ricans.
Because of the Board, Puerto Rican workers have lost benefits, including sick leave and vacation pay, and hundreds of their public schools have been shuttered to pay debts to Wall Street banks. San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz has called the Board “an exercise of raw colonialism.”
The Fiscal Control Board in an exercise of raw colonialism has established austerity measures which amongst many reduce pensions. 1/2
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) April 19, 2018
Governor Ricardo Rosselló accused the Board of trying to “impose measures that negatively affect the quality of life of our people.” Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are investigating conflicts of interest on the Board and its failure to improve the island’s economy.
As Penn Law students, we have dedicated our careers to equality, democracy, and social justice. Professor Skeel’s work with the Board actively undermines those goals. We believe that the Beacon Award should be given to faculty whose service unequivocally serves the common good.
The Board serves the banks, not the people. We strongly urge the Toll Public Interest Center Advisory Board to reconsider their choice.
Signed (will be periodically updated),
Domenic Powell
Madison Gray L’21
Ilana Saltz
Stefanie Ramirez
John Santoro
Emma Morgenstern
Fatoumata Waggeh
E. Taylor Hodges
Erik Lampmann
Kirsten Valania
Khary Anderson
Shayan Mirzahaidar
Daniel Lewis
Maura Hallisey
Jesse McGleughlin
Sabrina Merold
Ian Wahrenbrock
Kelsey Lee
Valerie Snow
Lauren Davis
Laily Sheybani L’18
Sabrina Ruchelli L’19
Charlotte Mostertz
Victoria Ochoa
Jose Valenzuela
Sonia M. Bartolomei Suárez
Vivek Kembaiyan, Toll Public Interest Fellow, L’20
Erin Sweeney, L’19
Evan Shaver L ’19
Kate DiVasto
Joanna Kamhi
Mariel Mussack L’20
William Ruehle
María J. Torres-López
Bill Fedullo
Eduarda Lague
Tamryn Holley
Shabel Castro
Aseem Chipalkatti L’21
Frances Rodriguez
Colleen O’Conor
Erin Quick
Mike Frieda
Katherine Joseph
Radhika Saxena
Brett Robert
Aalok Thakkar
Mary Felder
Princess M. Pillot
Claire Samuelson
Rachel Neckes
Lelabari Giwa
Matthew A. Feldman L ‘18
Sharon George
Abby Samuels
*Updated to open for alumni signatures 10AM, Mar. 27, 2019
The link to this letter is here.
