Thursday, July 18, 2013

Holder announces plan to curb abuse in Puerto Rico's police force - Reuters

Holder announces plan to curb abuse in Puerto Rico's police force

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the NAACP convention in Orlando (David Manning Reuters, / July 16, 2013)

Reuters

6:31 p.m. EDT, July 17, 2013

SAN JUAN (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla announced sweeping changes in Puerto Rico's Police Department on Wednesday aimed at curbing violence and abuse within its ranks and settling a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the department in December.

"This agreement will serve as a blueprint for building a modern law enforcement agency that's well-equipped to keep the people of Puerto Rico safe, while protecting their rights and civil liberties," Holder said.

The agreement includes new rules for the handling of civilian complaints and internal investigations, and introduces strict new policies on the use of force by police officers in the crime-plagued commonwealth.

It also focuses on recruitment and training, and contains new measures to strengthen oversight of the 17,000-member police force, the second-largest in the United States.

The Justice Department and former Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno agreed to the overhaul of the island's police in a consent decree filed in December. They delayed putting the changes in place until Garcia Padilla had an opportunity to review them and weigh their costs on the island's cash-starved budget.

The consent decree was filed the same day as the lawsuit from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and followed a scathing 116-page report about Puerto Rico Police Department issued by the Justice Department in September.

That report said Puerto Rico's police force had a "longstanding" pattern of civil rights violations that had essentially left it as a "broken" tool for law enforcement.

"This agreement is being made to guarantee that the public will be free from being victims of excessive force, illegal searches and seizures and systematic discrimination by the police," said Garcia Padilla.

"The goal is that when these measures are totally implemented, the country will have a police force that in addition to overseeing the safety of all, will guarantee individual civil rights and have the public's trust."

(Reporting by Reuters in San Juan; Editing by Tom Brown and Steve Orlofsky)

Japan Planning to Deepen CARICOM Ties - CJ

» Japan Planning to Deepen CARICOM Ties
17/07/13 22:44 from Caribbean Journal
TweetAbove: Japan By the Caribbean Journal staff Japan is planning to strengthen its ties with the Caribbean Community, according to Ambassador Akira Yamada, the director general of Japan’s Foreign Ministry. Yamada, who was speaking a...

PNP demanda a García Padilla y a la PRFAA - ENDia

17 de julio de 2013

5:21 p.m.

PNP demanda a García Padilla y a la PRFAA

Buscan que el tribunal declare ilegal utilizar fondos públicos para cabildeo relacionado al plebiscito

La conferencia de prensa fue convocada por el director ejecutivo del PNP, Jorge Dávila, y el Secretario General, José “Pichy” Torres Zamora (en la foto).(Archivo)

Por Antonio R. Gómez / antonio.gomez@gfrmedia.com

El Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) y cuatro ciudadanos privados, entre los que figura la exsenadora Lucy Arce Ferrer, radicaron hoy una demanda contra el gobernador Alejandro García Padilla en la que solicitan al tribunal que declare ilegal utilizar fondos públicos para cabildear en contra de la interpretación que hace dicha colectividad de los resultados del plebiscito del pasado año.

La demanda fue radicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia de San Juan y figuran también como demandados la Administración de Asuntos Federales de Puerto Rico (Prfaa), y su director, Juan Eugenio Hernández Mayoral.

El anuncio sobre la demanda, que fue adelantada desde la pasada semana por el presidente del PNP, Pedro Pierluisi, lo hicieron en conferencia de prensa el director ejecutivo del PNP, Jorge Dávila, y el secretario general de la colectividad, José “Pichy” Torres Zamora.

"El pasado 6 de noviembre, el pueblo de Puerto Rico envió un mensaje claro rechazando el status colonial en el que vivimos y pidiendo la anexión de nuestra isla como el estado 51. No existe justificación legal alguna para utilizar fondos públicos en contra del mandato del pueblo", sostuvo Dávila.

Explicó que el PNP fundamentó su reclamo en las expresiones que hizo el director de Prfaa en un artículo publicado en El Nuevo Día sobre el uso de los cabilderos del Gobierno para adelantar gestiones “en contra de los resultados del plebiscito, donde el pueblo rechazó el Estado Libre Asociado y pidió la estadidad”.

Según Dávila, esa “era la última pieza que necesitábamos".

“Ciertamente, el gasto de fondos públicos… por parte de la presente administración es ilegal e inconstitucional por ir, no solo en contra del mandato y la voluntad expresada por el pueblo de Puerto Rico en la consulta de status realizada el pasado 6 de noviembre, sino también por constituir un uso indebido de fondos públicos para fines no públicos y contravenir el axioma constitucional de igualdad electoral en su vertiente de igualdad económica para los partidos políticos”, se argumenta en la demanda.

Se incluyen como causas de acción la violación del derecho fundamental al voto, el uso indebido e inapropiado de fondos públicos y el derecho internacional.

“Se solicita específicamente al Tribunal que dicte la correspondiente sentencia declaratoria determinando la ilegalidad de la utilización de fondos públicos por parte de los demandados con el fin de impedir la consecución del mandato emitido por el pueblo de Puerto Rico el 6 de noviembre de 2012”, reza el documento.

Se reclama, además, que se ordene a los codemandados “a cesar y desistir de erogar fondos públicos para fines políticos partidistas”.

Firman el recurso los abogados Luis Benjamín Méndez, Francisco J. González y Oscar Santamaría.

"La Constitución de Puerto Rico es clara. Los fondos públicos se utilizarán únicamente para fines públicos. Intentar adelantar la agenda del PPD, en contra de la voluntad del pueblo, es contrario a esa disposición, y Alejandro García Padilla debe responder por sus actos y desistir de los mismos inmediatamente. El PNP protegerá la voluntad del pueblo y acudirá a los foros que sean necesarios para hacerla valer", señaló el secretario general del PNP.

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US, Cuba Hold Talks in Washington - CJ

US, Cuba Hold Talks in Washington

July 17, 2013 | 10:16 pm |Print

Above: Washington

By the Caribbean Journal staff

US and Cuban officials held their first bilateral migration talks since the beginning of 2011 on Wednesday.

The talks covered the implementation of the 1994 and 1995 US-Cuba Migration Accords, according to a release from the State Department.

The department said the agenda for the talks “reflected longstanding US priorities on Cuba migration issues.”

“The US delegation highlighted areas of successful cooperation in migration, including advances in aviation safety and visa processing, while also identifying actions needed to ensure that the goals of the accords are fully met, especially those having to do with safeguarding the lives of intending immigrants,” the department said.

The US said it also reiterated a call for the “immediate release” of Alan Gross, an American citizen who has been imprisoned in the Caribbean country since 2009 for what the US said was “solely for trying to facilitate communications between Cuba’s citizens and the rest of the world.”

The US side on the talks was led by Alex Lee, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, while Cuba’s delegation was led by Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, the Director General for US affairs in Cuba’s Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry said the talks had been held in a “climate of respect.”

Cuba said it “reiterated its willingness to maintain these exchanges in the future, given their importance to both countries.”

The two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.

US, Puerto Rico Sign Deal to Reform Police Agency By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Agreement Is Reached on Police Reforms in Puerto Rico - NYT | Agreement announced to reform Puerto Rico's police force - CNN | ACLU: “Esperamos que los puertorriqueños no tengan que temer más a su Policía” - ENDia

July 17, 2013

Agreement Is Reached on Police Reforms in Puerto Rico

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

The government of Puerto Rico and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division on Wednesday formalized a sweeping agreement meant to overcome a history of discrimination, violence and corruption in the commonwealth’s Police Department. The agreement is the result of a long investigation by the Justice Department and a consent decree announced in December to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. Its implementation was delayed to give the new governor, Alejandro García Padilla, time to review it and it is subject to approval by Judge Gustavo Gelpi of Federal District Court. Among other things, it will require the Police Department to implement new policies on the use of force and specialized tactical units, domestic violence, interactions with transgender people, crowd control, police training and promotions.

17 de julio de 2013

4:51 p.m.

July 17, 2013

US, Puerto Rico Sign Deal to Reform Police Agency

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder pledged $10 million on Wednesday to the Puerto Rican government as it finalized a deal to reform the U.S. territory's police agency, which has long been accused of illegal killings, corruption and civil rights violations.

The announcement ended two years of negotiations to transform the department. It is the second-largest force in the U.S. with more than 17,000 officers.

Puerto Rico has 10 years to implement all the changes, Holder said.

"Although I recognize that complete and lasting reform will not take hold overnight, I'm confident that this agreement lays out a clear path for responding to concerns, correcting troubling practices, safeguarding the rights of Puerto Rican citizens, restoring public trust, and ensuring public safety," he said.

The 100-page agreement calls on the police department to build public confidence, establish new disciplinary procedures and create a use-of-force policy. It also demands additional training for officers before they're assigned to the streets, and for a supervisor to be present when suspects resist arrest, among numerous other changes.

U.S. and local officials had signed the deal in December, but Puerto Rico's government requested more time to modify the agreement.

Some changes were made given the economic realities of Puerto Rico, said Justice Secretary Luis Sanchez Betances. The island of 3.7 million people is struggling to emerge from a seven-year recession.

Sanchez said an estimated initial investment of $60 million to $80 million will be needed for changes in the first two years.

He said that U.S. and Puerto Rico officials have 90 days to choose an independent adviser to oversee the changes and if no agreement is reached, a federal judge will appoint someone.

Puerto Rico Police Chief Hector Pesquera said the department is committed to making all the changes.

Acting Associate Attorney Tony West said that on Thursday he will discuss the agreement with high-ranking police officials. He stressed that community leaders will be essential in helping reform the agency.

The call for reform came after a September 2011 federal report in which prosecutors condemned the police for what it said was numerous constitutional violations.

"Officers have unnecessarily injured hundreds of people and killed numerous others," the report said. "The amount of crime and corruption involving ... officers further illustrates that the Puerto Rico police department is in profound disrepair."

Shortly afterward, the U.S. government filed a lawsuit noting that authorities had arrested more than 1,700 officers on charges including murder, rape and drug trafficking from January 2005 to November 2010.

Puerto Rico residents also filed more than 1,500 complaints against officers for unjustified or excessive force from 2004 to 2008.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed its own lawsuit accusing the police department of excessive force and civil rights violations. ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said the organization is close to reaching an agreement with the police agency to drop the legal action if the U.S. requirements are followed.

"We trust that this historic settlement means that Puerto Ricans will no longer have to live in fear of their own police force," Romero said.

ACLU: “Esperamos que los puertorriqueños no tengan que temer más a su Policía”

Elogia el acuerdo que permitirá dejar en suspenso la demanda federal

Romero se expresó satisfecho con el acuerdo entre el gobierno federal y el gobierno de la Isla. (archivo)

POR ELNUEVODIA.COM

WASHINGTON – La Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) expresó su esperanza de que con el acuerdo que regulará la demanda del gobierno federal contra la Policía de Puerto Rico “los puertorriqueños no tengan que temer más” a su propio departamento policial.

“Estamos muy contentos de que finalmente, el gobierno de Puerto Rico trabajará con el Departamento de Justicia para ponerle fin al rampante abuso policial que ha plagado a la isla por tantos años”, indicó hoy el puertorriqueño Anthony Romero, director ejecutivo y principal funcionario de la ACLU, con oficina principal en Nueva York.

Tras meses de negociaciones, el Departamento de Justicia de los Estados Unidos firmó este miércoles un acuerdo con el Gobierno de Puerto Rico para impulsar la reforma en la Policía local, en aras de establecer mayores controles en ese cuerpo de seguridad pública, profesionalizar a sus integrantes y procurar que se garanticen los derechos civiles de las personas.

Romero sostuvo que la ACLU y el bufete de abogados Kirkland & Ellis, que sometieron su propia demanda que denunció a la Policía por violarle sistemáticamente los derechos civiles a los residentes de Puerto Rico, están cerca de llegar a una transacción que eche a un lado la otra batalla judicial.

El acuerdo de transacción se basaría en gran medida en las promesas que hace el gobierno de Puerto Rico en el decreto de consentimiento suscrito hoy en San Juan por el secretario de Justicia de Estados Unidos, Eric Holder, y el gobernador Alejandro García Padilla.

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Agreement announced to reform Puerto Rico's police force

By Carol Cratty, CNN

July 18, 2013 -- Updated 0010 GMT (0810 HKT)

A statue of Juan Ponce de Leon sits in front of the second oldest church in the world in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A statue of Juan Ponce de Leon sits in front of the second oldest church in the world in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: ACLU welcomes the agreement
A federal judge still needs to approve the agreement
Investigation found police used excessive force to suppress free speech
It also cited unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests

(CNN) -- The Justice Department and Puerto Rico signed a major civil rights agreement Wednesday to reform the commonwealth's very troubled police force.

The pact faces final approval by a federal judge, who will oversee its enforcement.

An earlier Justice Department investigation found numerous problems in the Puerto Rico Police Department, the nation's second-largest, including:

-- Excessive use of force to suppress free speech.

-- Unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests.

-- A failure to investigate sexual assault and domestic violence allegations.

According to the Justice Department, the agreement with Puerto Rico is among the most extensive agreements involving the police misconduct provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the agreement on an issue it highlighted more than a year ago.

"At long last, the government of Puerto Rico will work together with the Justice Department to end the rampant police abuse that has plagued the island for so many years," Executive Director Anthony Romero said in a statement. "We trust that this historic settlement means that Puerto Ricans will no longer have to live in fear of their own police force. A court-enforceable agreement like this ensures that the PRPD will be held accountable if it fails to overhaul its policies and practices."

An ACLU report in June 2012 disclosed evidence of widespread abuses and violations of civil rights by the 17,000-strong police department, saying the force "has run amok for years." The abuse was "pervasive and systemic, island-wide and ongoing," the report said.

The Justice Department announced in December that it reached a preliminary agreement with Puerto Rico. It delayed implementation to allow then-incoming Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla the time to review it and suggest possible changes.

Puerto Rico's police force serves almost 4 million residents.

2012: White House weighs in on statehood vote

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Clinton: ‘Puerto Rico could lead Caribbean in move toward energy independence’ 17/07/13 08:24 from Caribnewss Facebook Wall | Former President Bill Clinton arrived in Puerto Rico Monday afternoon at Isla Grande and Tuesday is slated to discuss ways to improve...

» Bill Clinton is here!
16/07/13 14:59 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
Bill Clinton is here!Issued: July 13, 2013 Former President Bill Clinton arrived in Puerto Rico Monday afternoon at Isla Grande and Tuesday is slated to discuss ways to improve...Reports bring PR into Snowden caseIssued: July 13, ...

» Clinton: ‘Puerto Rico could lead Caribbean in move toward energy independence’
17/07/13 08:24 from Caribnewss Facebook Wall
Clinton: ‘Puerto Rico could lead Caribbean in move toward energy independence’Clinton: ‘Puerto Rico could lead Caribbean in move toward energy independence’ | News is my Businessfeedly.comFormer U.S. President Bill Clinton, who visited Puer...

Puerto Rico's ignored public health crisis: 'I've lost a lot of friends to drugs' - The Guardian

Puerto Rico's ignored public health crisis: 'I've lost a lot of friends to drugs'

The converging issues of heroin addiction and HIV have emerged as a public health emergency in Puerto Rico. With the government overwhelmed, non-profits groups try to fill the void

This report is a collaboration between the Guardian and Fusion, a joint venture between ABC News and Univision

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Bill Clinton: Puerto Rico Can Lead Entire Caribbean Toward Energy Independence

July 16, 2013 | 3:24 pm |Print

Above: Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla and former US President Bill Clinton

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico has a large-scale solar project in the works, along with a pair of new wind farms. And if it plays its cards right, the US territory could lead the entire Caribbean toward a green future, according to former United States President Bill Clinton.

Clinton arrived in Puerto Rico this week as part of a push to promote green energy on the island, first meeting with Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla and then delivering a speech on energy and climate change at the Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico Tuesday afternoon.

“You clearly in Puerto Rico have a chance to lead the entire Caribbean in a move toward being energy independent,” he said. “You have a chance to set an example to the world in having an energy policy that allows economic growth and environmental responsibility.”

He said that, as in countries around the Caribbean, high energy costs were crippling economic growth in Puerto Rico.

“Whenever an economy has a cost that is glaringly out of line with its competitors, it is a severe constraint on growth,” he said.

“I I were planning Puerto Rico’s economic future, and wanted to keep the unemployment rate down and stop outmigration of Puerto Ricans and encourage them to come home, I would ask myself, ‘what can I do to increase the economic growth rate here in a way that generates more good jobs?’” he said. “The most obvious answer is to cut the cost of energy.”

Clinton offered several solutions – suggesting both a “Puerto Rican strategy and a neighbourhood strategy and eventually a Caribbean strategy” for energy.

That would involve looking to liquefied natural gas and increased solar and wind, the cost of which had fallen dramatically in recent years.

“Ultimately, the goal should be to liberate you from any reliance on oil in the generation of your electricity,” he said.

Recent years have seen a growth in green energy projects in Puerto Rico, highlighted by new wind farms in Santa Isabel and Punta Lima and a major solar energy project in Guayama.

And Clinton said projects in nearby countries like Haiti and the Dominican Republic underscored the promise of green energy for the Caribbean.

He specifically mentioned the Mirebalais Teaching Hospital in Haiti, which is entirely powered by solar energy and is the largest solar-powered building in the Caribbean.

“[Puerto Rico] could lead the whole Caribbean away from oil, away from the turbulence that climate change will be toward a more sustainable economy and a much more affordable one for the people who already live here, already work here and could use a little lower utility bill to invest in other things which will generate more economic growth by far,” he said.

Culmina el foro de energía renovable con Bill Clinton

16 de julio de 2013

2:13 p.m.

Culmina el foro de energía renovable con Bill Clinton

El expresidente de los Estados Unidos habló sobre la importancia de estos proyectos Video y fotos

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Clinton se reunió con García Padilla en La Fortaleza. (tonito.zayas@gfrmedia.com)

Por ELNUEVODIA.COM

Luego de asistir a reuniones con el gobernador Alejandro García Padilla y el comisionado residente Pedro Pierluisi, el expresidente de Estados Unidos, Bill Clinton, realizó esta tarde un foro en el que presentó su perspectiva sobre iniciativas de energía renovable para Puerto Rico.

El exmandatario estadounidense hizo hincapié sobre la relevancia de proyectos sustentables y costo-efectivos para la generación de energía.

Durante su participación, Clinton favoreció la interconexión energética en la zona del Caribe y que el Congreso federal impulse una política energética para todas las jurisdicciones estadounidenses.

Asimismo, indicó que defiende el cierre de los vertederos. Entre otras ideas que discutió, está la de instalar placas solares en los techos de los edificios de la Isla. Y afirmo que Puerto Rico no puede perder los próximos años en la batalla contra el calentamiento global.

Además, el exmandatario sugirió que se utilicen en la Isla el gas natural, la energía solar, de viento y waste to energy. Entre las ventajas que enumeró está el hecho de que reducir el costo energético hará que la economía local crezca y frenará la masiva emigración.

El líder demócrata fue más allá al decir que Puerto Rico puede ser un ejemplo de independencia energética para el Caribe.

Como parte de su presentación en la Isla, Clinton intercambió impresiones con el economista Sergio Marxuach, del Centro para la Nueva Economía, y Carmen Guerrero, la secretaria Recursos Naturales y Ambientales.

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Alejandro García Padilla

Pierluisi meets with Clinton

July 16, 2013

1:59 pm

Pierluisi meets with Clinton

Resident Commissioner expressed his concern over the political status of the island Pictures and Video

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Pierluisi also added that Clinton told him about the status and outcome of the past which prevailed statehood plebiscite. (File)

By Limarys Suarez Torres / lsuarez1@elnuevodia.com

Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi met this evening with former President Bill Clinton to speak on renewable energy projects and their concern about the status of Puerto Rico.

"We talked about the challenges facing Puerto Rico and made emphasis on renewable energy projects and companies that want to come here.'s Think Puerto Rico should be a model in the energy field," said Pierluisi on leaving the meeting at the Sheraton Old San Juan.

Pierluisi also added that Clinton told him about the status and outcome of the past which prevailed statehood plebiscite.

"I explained the two projects that are before Congress on the status, what he did was listen to me and thank me for the information I gave him. Hopefully the governor take the meeting with him," he said.

Meanwhile, Pierluisi said the former U.S. thinks Puerto Rico can establish alliances with other Caribbean countries on renewable energy.

"I told him that the main economic development strategy that has been implemented in Puerto Rico from 70 to the present has been the largest grant tax exemptions to foreign companies investing in the island and it's clear that has not worked" said.

As he left the meeting at the Sheraton Resident Commissioner was preparing to go to renewable energy forum at the Conservatory of Music.

While Clinton came out hastily escorted to a brief meeting with the governor Alejandro García Padilla in La Fortaleza.

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Arzobispo cuestiona decisión del Supremo de EEUU sobre matrimonios gays - Noticias247.pr

Arzobispo cuestiona decisión del Supremo de EEUU sobre matrimonios gays

Published on Friday, 28 June 2013 13:47

El Arzobispo de San Juan, Roberto González Nieves se opuso el jueves a la determinación del Tribunal Supremo de los Estados Unidos de que las parejas del mismo sexo, casadas legalmente, deberían tener los mismos beneficios federales con que cuentan las parejas heterosexuales.

Arzobispo cuestiona decisión del Supremo de EEUU sobre matrimonios gays - Noticias247.pr - 6/28/2013 -