Rallying for Puerto Rico

UPROSE’s Elizabeth Yeampierre told the crowd assembled June 2 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City that “[i]t should be a horror to the world that 5,000 people died under a government that didn’t care enough to find out people were burying family members in their backyard!”

All photos courtesy Daniel Efram, ©2018 Efram Photography

Protesters at the June 2 rally in New York demanded a true accounting of the death toll in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. The number on the sign on the left represents an estimated death toll based on the findings from a recent study out of Harvard.

Protesters raise the Puerto Rican flag, and their fists, in support of the storm-battered island.

Signage at the June 2 protest at the United Nations building made use of the #AuditPR hashtag.

A demonstrator makes a show of support for Puerto Rico and the opposite for President Donald Trump.

Two protesters comfort each other at the New York rally on June 2.

A woman hoists a super-sized flag of Puerto Rico at the New York rally.

UPROSE’s executive director spoke at Saturday’s event.

Activist Sarsour, co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March, also addressed the crowd gathered near the United Nations building in New York City.

Intercept Editor in Chief Betsy Reed made opening remarks at Wednesday’s “The Battle for Paradise” event at Cooper Union in New York City.

From left, “Democracy Now!” co-host Juan González, Puerto Rican environmental activist Katia Avilés-Vázquez, author Naomi Klein, UPROSE Executive Director Elizabeth Yeampierre, and Edwin Morales, vice president of the Puerto Rico Teachers Federation, formed the panel at Cooper Union on Wednesday night.

Klein’s new book, “The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes On the Disaster Capitalists,” provided a jumping-off point for Wednesday’s discussion.

The “Democracy Now!” journalist reminded the crowd that “it is Puerto Rico that is our colony,” as Avilés-Vázquez listened.

Wednesday night’s panel about Puerto Rico, co-sponsored by The Intercept and Haymarket Books, appeared before a packed venue at New York’s Cooper Union.