what’s going on?

• Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rosselló is resisting calls to resign after texts with sexist, homophobic, and profane language from his group chat with other government officials were leaked, prompting people across the island and the US to call for #RickyRenuncia

• Puerto Ricans have been protesting in San Juan and across the island with the most recent demonstration on July 22 where protesters blocked miles of a major highway

why is this happening?

• On Saturday, The Center for Investigative Journalism published over 800 pages of texts that revealed insulting and derogatory text conversations between Governor Rosselló and many officials (including the secretaries of interior and public affairs, the former finance secretary and the governor’s legal adviser)

• The conversation dated from the end of 2018 to January 2019, and contained derogatory slurs aimed at “women, political opponents and journalists as well as privileged information and instructions regarding public policy matters” 

• The texts include jokes and comments that trivialize and poke fun at the struggles facing Puerto Ricans — “in one text, the governor’s chief financial officer cracks a joke about the dead bodies that piled up in a government facility before and after 2017’s Hurricane Maria”

• Over the weekend, Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marin and Chief Financial Officer Christian Sobrino, two officials involved in the text conversations, announced their resignation. Protesters took to the streets of the capital, San Juan, calling for Rosselló’s resignation, and on Monday, demonstrations turned violent when riot police launched tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd

• Puerto Rico is already dealing with other problems Puerto Ricans have been frustrated with the lack of leadership in their government

  • Last week, the FBI arrested two former officials of the Rosselló Administration on charges of fraud as part of a federal corruption investigation (for allegedly directing $15 million in contracts to friends an political allies)

  • The island has been in recession for over a decade and is billions of dollars in debt

  • Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria

• Gov. Roselló said that he wouldn’t step down from office despite top figures in his own government and Puerto Rican celebrities calling on him to do so

• Rosselló is becoming increasingly isolated in office as leaders of his own party have retracted their support for him. If Rosselló were to resign, his successor would be the secretary of state, whose post is currently empty, followed by the treasurer

• Protesters are determined to not let Puerto Rico’s reputation be damaged by the scandals, and police violence won’t stop them — they will rest only when their demands are met

• President Trump has used the political scandals and crisis in Puerto Rico for his own benefit when some of the problems facing the island were fueled by U.S. actions (e.g. Wall Street investors benefited for years while the Puerto Rican government kept taking on more debt, the island’s finances are managed by “an unpopular and unelected oversight board created by Congress,” and the U.S. response to Hurricane Maria has been ineffective)

• Democratic presidential candidates Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marianne Williamson have joined the calls for Roselló to resign

what’s happening now?

• On Wednesday July 24th, Rosselló announced his resignation!

• He will officially be stepping down on August 2nd

• It is not certain who will be his successor, but many are saying Justice Secretary Wanda Vásquez will take his place

what can I do?

• We can show solidarity with Puerto Rico by attending protests that are happening across the United States, as well as by continuing to post updates of the situation on our own social media platforms

social media guide:

• Hashtags to use/follow: #RickyResign, #RickyRenuncia, #RickyLeaks, #TelegramGate, #PuertoRicoSeLevanta, #RickyRenunciaYa

• Accounts to follow: @TorresGotay, @Residente, @DavidBegnaud, @rj_c, @rosaclemente on Twitter

• Sample posts/stories/profile photos:

more information:

• Listen to a New York Times podcast on the crisis in Puerto Rico