Carlos Edill Berríos Polanco

On Monday, after more than a year of protesting and occupying the beach, environmental justice activists destroyed parts of the illegal construction that Sol y Playa Condominium was building on Los Almendros beach in Rincón, Puerto Rico.

A green wave of pro-choice demonstrators washed over Old San Juan on Saturday, May 28 —the International Day of Action for Women’s Health— to demand abortion rights be protected in the face of legislative attacks.

Following the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in the worst school shooting this decade, disinformation has been quickly spread by far-right users online and right-wing activists and politicians concerning the identity of the alleged shooter, Salvador Ramos.

On May 5, the super PAC Salvemos a Puerto Rico and its president pled guilty to one count of falsifying documents to hide donor identities from the Federal Election Commission, leading to an investigation into whether they coordinated with Gov. Pedro Pierluisi’s 2020 campaign.

Following a massive fire at Costa Sur Power Plant and the ensuing island-wide blackout that lasted multiple days, the firefighters union has called on the government to cancel its contract with LUMA Energy.

On Tuesday, March 29, a new anti-choice abortion bill was passed by a Senate commission in Puerto Rico that limits abortions to 22 weeks. Rushed to approval without public hearings, the bill has drawn outrage from the public, female politicians, and medical professionals.

Puerto Rico is five times more likely to be struck by extreme rainfall today than it was decades ago. Given that the archipelago is uniquely susceptible to flooding and its location on the eastern edge of the Greater Antilles, Puerto Rico is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to the effects of climate change.

While intense public pressure led to the worst parts being left out of the debt adjustment plan, many Puerto Ricans still view it as only leading the archipelago further into ruin through ever-expanding budget cuts and austerity measures.

Beginning with public teachers in late January, Puerto Rico has experienced a wave of strikes from public sector workers. The mass absenteeism resulting from each strike has led to them being called a “flu”—“white flu” for striking healthcare workers, “blue flu” for striking police officers.

DORADO, Puerto Rico — On Saturday, hundreds of Puerto Ricans climbed the rocky paths that surrounded Dorado Beach to protest the decades-long privatization of one of Puerto Rico’s most prominent natural resources.

On Friday, classrooms across Puerto Rico continued to sit empty as thousands of public school teachers protested at the foot of the Capitolio, home to Puerto Rico’s legislature, and then walked to the governor’s official residence, La Fortaleza, to demand fair pay and pensions.

After a video of a couple berating beachgoers in Ocean Park while they set up a tennis court went viral on social media last week, Puerto Ricans rallied to host a “beach Olympics” to show that “the beaches belong to the people.”

“A Puerto Rico without Puerto Ricans” has become almost cliche in talks concerning the current wave of gentrification washing over the islands. It’s a phrase so bold-faced about ridding the island of its native inhabitants that one is tempted to view it as satire, if the message behind it hadn’t become all too real for the people of Puerto Rico over the past decade.

After a warrant was issued last week for the arrest of LUMA CEO Wayne Stensby, the energy company finally gave Puerto Rican legislators documents containing information about employee salaries and communications between Stensby and politicians.

Inside the Clemente Ruiz Nazario United States Courthouse, Judge Laura Taylor Swain presided over the first day of confirmation hearings for Puerto Rico’s debt adjustment plan. Outside, hundreds of people flooded the courthouse gates to express their repudiation of the plan.

On Tuesday, October 26, after the majority of protesters had left, the Senate approved PC1003. Gov. Pierluisi signed the debt restructuring bill into law almost immediately after it was passed, calling it “a great step forward to end the bankruptcy and get out from under the Fiscal Oversight and Management Board.”

Outraged over constant blackouts and increases in the price of electricity, over 4,000 protesters marched in San Juan, Puerto Rico, calling for an end to the contract the local government signed with LUMA Energy that privatized part of the island’s electrical grid.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Fed up with rolling blackouts and the rising price of electricity, Puerto Ricans continue to hit the streets in protest against the Puerto Rican government’s contract with LUMA Energy while calling for the resignation of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and the end of the Financial Oversight and Management Board of Puerto Rico (FOMBPR).

At a Friday press conference, LUMA Energy CEO Wayne Stensby claimed that the company projected that they would be able to restore electricity to remaining customers by 6 p.m. Friday night.

In the early hours of the morning on June 1, protesters began setting up encampments in front of the gates of the newly christened LUMA Energy warehouses and facilities in a bid to not let the workers access their tools