Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Puerto Rico: Dengue Levels Continue Above Epidemic Level

» Puerto Rico: Dengue Levels Continue Above Epidemic Level
23/07/13 09:27 from puerto rico - Google Blog Search
It's been a few months since we last looked at Dengue fever activity in Puerto Rico - and while nowhere near the intensity of the 2010 epidemic (see red line in chart below) - the summer of 2013 is running well above the ...

News Review: More Latinos Consuming News In English: Study

» More Latinos Consuming News In English: Study
23/07/13 13:27 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
More Latino adults are turning to English-language news, according to a new Pew study released on Tuesday. Compared to studies of years past, Pew researchers... More Latino adults are turning to English-language news, according to ...

» Latinos in US Increasingly Rely on English-Language News, Report Finds - New York Times (blog)
23/07/13 12:00 from latino - Google News
ABC NewsLatinos in US Increasingly Rely on English-Language News, Report FindsNew York Times (blog)An increasing number of Hispanics in the United States are getting their news in English, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew H...


» Pew Research study finds more Latinos get their news in English - Los Angeles Times
23/07/13 12:58 from latino - Google News
Pew Research study finds more Latinos get their news in EnglishLos Angeles TimesThe Pew Hispanic Center's 2012 National Survey of Latinos found that 82% of Latino adults said they obtained at least some of their news in English — up fro..


» Report: PR lost 42,100 salaried #jobs http://ow.ly/neTZf #caribbeanbusiness
23/07/13 13:01 from CARIBBEAN BUSINESSs Facebook Wall
Report: PR lost 42,100 salaried #jobs http://ow.ly/neTZf #caribbeanbusiness


» Puerto Rico continues to post deep job losses as the island economy remains on a...
23/07/13 08:44 from Caribnewss Facebook Wall
Puerto Rico continues to post deep job losses as the island economy remains on an eight-month skid http://bit.ly/18AhREQReport: PR lost 42,100 salaried jobs - Caribbean Businesswww.caribbeanbusinesspr.compuerto rico continues to post deep j...


» Radio Vieques: A Key Outlet for a Struggling Community
23/07/13 12:22 from Global Voices » Puerto Rico (U.S.)
The island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, suffered over 60 years of use as a United States Navy military base and an area for bombing exercises. The island-municipality of Vieques, Puerto Rico now has its first community radio station, Radio Vieq...


» Latino Homebuyers Face Hostility, Higher Fees, And Fewer Options - ThinkProgress
23/07/13 11:55 from latino - Google News
ThinkProgressLatino Homebuyers Face Hostility, Higher Fees, And Fewer OptionsThinkProgressThough formal “redlining” based on race was banned decades ago, a new report finds that Latinos still face rampant discrimination in the housing marke...


» Puerto Rico: Wind farm fiasco | Fausta's Blog
23/07/13 09:26 from puerto rico - Google Blog Search
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013 at 8:26 am and is filed under business, energy, environment, Fausta's blog, Puerto Rico. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response,&nb...


» Caribbean 'Tropical Zion' Offered Refuge for Jews Fleeing Nazis - Jewish Daily Forward
23/07/13 08:40 from caribbean - Google News
Jewish Daily ForwardCaribbean 'Tropical Zion' Offered Refuge for Jews Fleeing NazisJewish Daily ForwardIt is a typically Caribbean town, with an atypical history that includes a chapter as a haven for Jewish refugees. Hot and humid ...


» A Jewish refuge on Caribbean shores - Haaretz
23/07/13 05:49 from caribbean - Google News
HaaretzA Jewish refuge on Caribbean shoresHaaretzOn the northern shore of the Dominican Republic lies the beachfront town of Sosúa, known for over 70 years as "Tropical Zion.” It is a typically Caribbean town, with an atypical history ...


Puerto Rico police department hit with new civil rights lawsuit - Reuters | Gobierno federal demanda a la Policía por discrimen racial | Fortuno: Get more non Whites or the GOP is done for

Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia Federal sometió ayer otra demanda contra la Policía de Puerto Rico, esta vez por no tomar acción en el caso de una agente que supuestamente fue víctima de acoso laboral por racismo y por su credo religioso.
A pocos días de que se llegó a un acuerdo entre el gobierno federal y el estatal para crear una reforma de la Uniformada para atajar el problema de violación a los derechos civiles de los ciudadanos, la demanda pretende atender la situación particular de una agente que lleva desde 2007 querellándose por el problema de hostigamiento laboral, que se alega no fue atendido correctamente.
La demanda sometida ayer indica que la agente Yolanda Carrasquillo, adscrita al cuartel de Cupey, es una mujer negra de Loíza y es evangélica. Trabaja en la Policía desde 1993 como oficial de patrullaje y realiza trabajo administrativo en dicho precinto. Nunca recibió una acción disciplinaria en su contra, antes de agosto de 2007.
Según la demanda, fue entonces que comenzó a trabajar allí Sandra Alvino, quien es secretaria y empleada civil. Desde entonces hasta el 2010, "Carrasquillo fue acosada en el trabajo por su color de piel y su religión", dado a que le hacía "comentarios inapropiados y denigrantes" hasta al frente de sus supervisores, que no tomaron las medidas correspondientes.
Durante ese término de tiempo, tuvo varios supervisores, como el capitán Héctor Figueroa, el teniente Juan Cortez, el capitán Rafael Mercado, el capitán Israel Vázquez y la capitana Jazmín Pérez.
Se alega que Carrasquillo fue objeto de un ambiente hostil en el trabajo por su color de piel, dado a que Alvino supuestamente le decía comentarios como: "ustedes, maldita gente negra", "maldita mujer negra", "monos negros sucios" y que los negros de República Dominicana eran "bestias salvajes".
También fue víctima de comentarios en contra de su religión, como: "ustedes los cristianos son todos iguales", "maldita sea la madre de Dios", entre otros. Se detalla que Carrasquillo regresó en agosto de 2008 de un viaje de misión cristiana de cuatro semanas, y Alvino le dijo: "tú eres cristiana y todos son iguales".
En medio de una discusión entre ambas en el estacionamiento del cuartel en octubre de 2009, supuestamente Carrasquillo le dijo a Alvino que era una racista, y ésta le contestó, "todo el tiempo", y le manifestó que "se creía santa por ser cristiana y (por) siempre esconderse detrás de la Biblia".
Luego de dicha situación, su supervisor -que en ese momento era Vázquez- le dijo a Alvino que tomara dos días por vacaciones y castigó a Carrasquillo al cambiarla al turno nocturno.
En noviembre de 2009, Carrasquillo envió una carta al respecto al Cuartel General y la misma fue recibida por la Comisión de Derechos Civiles y la de Asuntos Legales, pero no hubo respuesta ni investigaron el asunto.
"La política en contra del acoso laboral de la Policía de Puerto Rico provee cero tolerancia a cualquier hostigamiento. La política también especifica que los supervisores son responsables de tomar acción para corregir cualquier acto de discrimen u hostigamiento que sea traído a su atención, ya sea por observación propia o que reciban queja", lee la demanda, sometida por los abogados Sonya Sacks y Raheemah Abdulaleem, de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia en Washington D.C.
La acción legal solicita que se realice un juicio por jurado en este caso y se le ofrezca un remedio a la presunta víctima, que se le devuelvan los costos y desembolsos del pleito, estimados en $300 mil, y ordenar un remedio por el incumplimiento por parte de la Policía de Puerto Rico al no tomar las acciones necesarias.
Carrasquillo aún es agente, pero se informó que está de vacaciones.
La demanda fue asignada ante la consideración del juez federal Francisco A. Besosa.


Friday, July 19, 2013

Puerto Rico Police Reform - News Review

» Justice Department sues Puerto Rico police, alleging racial bias - CNN
22/07/13 21:25 from Puerto Rico police reform - Google News
Justice Department sues Puerto Rico police, alleging racial biasCNNThe allegations are the latest in a series of claims against the commonwealth's troubled police force, and they follow an agreement last week between the Justice Departm...
» Stoning whistle-blowers - Inquirer.net
22/07/13 20:26 from Puerto Rico police reform - Google News
Stoning whistle-blowersInquirer.netAfter Land Bank's Acsa Ramirez blew the whistle on tax scams, National Bureau of Investigation agents shoved her into a police line-up which president Gloria Arroyo used her as photo op. Shanghaied by ...
» Puerto Rico police department hit with new civil rights lawsuit
22/07/13 20:11 from puerto rico police department - Google Blog Search
SAN JUAN (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Puerto Rico Police Department claiming that it discriminated against a policewoman by failing to stop colleagues from continuously ...
» Puerto Rico police department hit with new civil rights lawsuit - Reuters
22/07/13 19:45 from puerto rico police department - Google News
Latin American Herald TribunePuerto Rico police department hit with new civil rights lawsuitReutersSAN JUAN (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Puerto Rico Police Department claiming that it discrim...
» Puerto Rico police department hit with new civil rights lawsuit | Yes ...
22/07/13 19:43 from puerto rico police department - Google Blog Search
SAN JUAN (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Puerto Rico Police Department claiming that it discriminated against a policewoman by failing to stop colleagues from continuously ...
» US Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Puerto Rico Police for ...
22/07/13 19:32 from puerto rico police department - Google Blog Search
SAN JUAN – The Department of Justice announced on Monday the filing of a lawsuit against the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) alleging that the PRPD discriminated against Yolanda Carrasquillo on the basis of race, color and ...
» Twitter users hate on Zimmerman for pulling family from wreck - Daily Caller
22/07/13 17:58 from Puerto Rico police reform - Google News
Twitter users hate on Zimmerman for pulling family from wreckDaily CallerAfter Trayvon Martin speech, Obama challenged to reform mandatory minimums · George Zimmerman grabs fire extinguisher, pulls family from overturned SUV ·...
» USDOJ: Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Puerto Rico Police ... - 7thSpace Interactive (press release)
22/07/13 17:14 from puerto rico police department - Google News
USDOJ: Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Puerto Rico Police ...7thSpace Interactive (press release)The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a lawsuit against the Puerto Rico Police Department PRPD) alleging that th...

» Puerto Rico police department hit with new civil rights lawsuit
23/07/13 09:59 from Puerto Rico
Thomson Reuters SAN JUAN (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Puerto Rico Police Department claiming that it discriminated against a policewom...

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» Fortuno: Get more non Whites or the GOP is done for
23/07/13 17:16 from 
6 Comments, last updated on Tuesday Jul 23 by LongIslander1987

Sunday, July 21, 2013

What goes around, comes around; lo que va, vuelve.


Puerto Rico tiene una salida: el aeropuerto - Benjamín Torres Gotay

Mike Nova comments: 
However, in this case the "output" is just one side and one direction of the two way street: nature, social systems and even islands ("no man is an island, no island is an island") do not tolerate vacuums and the empty spaces are filled inevitably with "input": human immigration (and not just by very rich, seeking to escape taxes, which is not a very farsighted strategy anyway, but a broad middle class spectrum, from young [hi-tech] professionals to retirees), integration into mainland and global economies and cultural integration (see vía internacional para la cultura in the same issue). Besides that most of the "outputters" got their return tickets, mental and physical, and will come back, when the conditions permit. And as for me personally, I will most definitely come back and very soon (those who do not like it, leave all your hopes), not only because I love the Island and its people (no matter what), but because I feel that I am becoming a part of it (which, I am sure, is the case with many other people). So, do not despair, Benji-chico: what goes around, comes aroundlo que va, vuelve

Puerto Rico, a place for hackers and makers?

» Why Hackers and Makers Latest Toy is Puerto Rican - The Next Web
21/07/13 04:01 from puerto rico - Google News
Why Hackers and Makers Latest Toy is Puerto RicanThe Next WebThis is even more impressive when you take into account that this was the first hardware crowdfunding campaign to ever come out of Puerto Rico. It is the brainchild of Caguas-base...


Saturday, July 20, 2013

Political Persecution in Puerto Rico: Uncovering Secret Files - Materials for the topic of Puerto Rico Police Reform

Political Persecution in Puerto Rico: Uncovering Secret Files

News Review: Puerto Rico Report: Boston Globe Commentator Calls for Binding Vote: Statehood vs. Independence | Marc Anthony: “More Puerto Rican Than Ever”

» Boston Globe Commentator Calls for Binding Vote: Statehood vs. Independence
20/07/13 14:27 from Puerto Rico Report
In a Boston Globe opinion piece published today and reprinted below, a political commentator who was born in Puerto Rico but lives in Massachusetts notes [...] In a Boston Globe opinion piece published today and reprinted below, a political...

» Free Puerto Rico from political limbo - Boston Globe
20/07/13 01:37 from political status of puerto rico - Google News
Boston GlobeFree Puerto Rico from political limboBoston GlobeAlthough officially listed as a commonwealth, Puerto Rico's territorial status is still colonial in nature. It is not a commonwealth, not a state, not an independent nation. I...


» This Week Top Story: #PuertoRico preparing for a return to #WallStreet: http://o...
20/07/13 09:02 from CARIBBEAN BUSINESSs Facebook Wall
This Week Top Story: #PuertoRico preparing for a return to #WallStreet: http://ow.ly/n7YCt #caribbeanbusiness


» SEC charges city of Miami with fraud
20/07/13 07:09 from Caribnewss Facebook Wall
SEC charges city of Miami with fraudSEC charges city of Miami with fraudfeedly.comMiami and its former budget director were charged with fraud by the SEC for alleged misconduct tied to bond documents.


» Marc Anthony: “More Puerto Rican Than Ever”
20/07/13 13:14 from Puerto Rico Report
Actor and singer Marc Anthony, born Marco Antonio Muñiz in New York City, was chosen to sing “God Bless America” at Major League Baseball’s  All [...] Actor and singer Marc Anthony, born Marco Antonio Muñiz in New York City, wa...


» Epic student strike continues in Puerto Rico - People's World
20/07/13 03:55 from puerto rico - Google News
Epic student strike continues in Puerto RicoPeople's WorldForty six days into their strike against the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), students were occupying 11 of 12 UPR campuses despite heavy police monitoring and the UPR President'...

» Venezuela 'ends' bid for US ties
20/07/13 04:23 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Venezuela says it has "ended" steps towards restoring diplomatic ties with the US, after comments by the putative next US envoy to the UN.


» Rene Perez, Calle 13's Residente, Offers To Fly Edward Snowden Out Of Russia - Huffington Post
20/07/13 06:23 from puerto rican community in new york - Google News
Rene Perez, Calle 13's Residente, Offers To Fly Edward Snowden Out Of RussiaHuffington Post<a href="http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/64-eva-longoria" target="_hplink"> Longoria was awarded the "Lati...


» Coast Guard Offloads $35 Million In Cocaine
20/07/13 12:42 from Puerto Rico Newswire
... Station Miami aircrew located a vessel with suspicious-looking packages on-board. The Coast Guard in San Juan, Puerto Rico received the report and sent Coast Guard Cutter Legare, a 270-foot vessel, to investigate. Legare then launched ...


» 8 Top Latino Authors Everyone Should Know - Huffington Post
20/07/13 06:23 from latino - Google News
8 Top Latino Authors Everyone Should KnowHuffington PostLatinos and writing are a couple made in heaven. Our passion and heritage provide for fantastic literary universes once and again recognized worldwide. We have among us countless great...


» Eight arrested in Puerto Rico on charges of illegal trade in endangered sea turtles
20/07/13 04:00 from Puerto Rico Newswire
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Federal authorities arrested eight people in the cities of Arroyo and Patillas, Puerto Rico, on Thursday on felony and misdemeanor charges for the illegal taking, possession and sale of endangered sea turtles and th...


Friday, July 19, 2013

VICTORY! Historic Agreement Will Overhaul Puerto Rico Police Department Notorious for Brutality - LibertyVoice

VICTORY! 

Historic Agreement Will Overhaul Puerto Rico Police Department Notorious for Brutality

The U.S. Justice Department and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico yesterday announced a legally binding consent decree that will require sweeping reforms to end widespread police brutality on the island, paving the way for long-overdue reforms of a recalcitrant police force that has resisted change for years. And because the consent decree is court-enforceable, the agreement will ensure that the Puerto Rico Police Department will be held accountable if it fails to follow through with the plan to overhaul its policies and practices.
Yesterday’s announcement is the culmination of years of work by the ACLU, courageous advocates on the island, and the Justice Department to end the unconscionable abuse Puerto Ricans have suffered at the hands of their own police force, the second-largest police department in the United States.
I began investigating police abuse on the island in March 2011, when police were violently suppressing university student protests on a near daily basis. For years, the ACLU of Puerto Rico—one of the few human rights watchdogs on the island—had been documenting cases of police brutality against low-income and Black Puerto Ricans, but the outlaw police force had turned against nonviolent protesters in spectacular demonstrations of brutality, tear gassing and beating protesters outside the Capitol Building, courthouse, governor’s mansion, and at the University of Puerto Rico. I made multiple trips to Puerto Rico to uncover and document the police force’s systemic brutality, culminating in a 180-page report, “Island of Impunity,” published in June of last year.
I interviewed Ruth Jiménez, whose son Jorge Polaco was delivered by police, dead and with seven gunshots in his back, to a hospital an hour and a half after arresting him a 10-minute drive away. I met Joel Félix, a young Dominican immigrant who was senselessly and savagely beaten by officers who stopped him while he was walking home and identified his foreign accent. The officers left him for dead on the side of the road, after fishing Félix’s cell phone out of his pocket and calling his sister to collect her unconscious brother, who nearly died of his injuries. I uncovered the case of 19-year-old José Luis Irizarry Pérez, an unarmed 19-year-old beaten to death by officers responding to a neighbor’s noise complaint about an election party the teen attended with his father. I interviewed numerous university students and union organizers who were beaten, tear gassed, and pepper sprayed when they attempted to peacefully protest mass layoffs of public workers and public university cutbacks.
documented the cases of 28 men who were killed by police in recent years, and found that no officer was punished for these killings, with the exception of the case of an unarmed man executed by police on the street in front of bystanders, one of whom filmed the incident on a cell phone. I learned of Wanda Camacho Meléndez, a nurse who repeatedly sought the PRPD’s protection from her increasingly violent and threatening ex-partner. Police failed to respond to her calls for help when he kept going to her house in violation of a protective order, and he stabbed her to death on Valentine’s Day.
“Island of Impunity” documented rampant police abuse and a systemic lack of accountability in the PRPD, as well as the force’s failure to crack down on sexual assault, domestic violence, and murders of women by their partners. Also in June, the ACLU and Kirkland & Ellis LLP sued the PRPD for violating the constitutional rights of peaceful protesters who were beaten and abused during demonstrations against controversial government policies. We are now close to reaching a settlement in exchange for a provision requiring the independent PRPD monitor to meet with civil society groups in order to obtain input on proposed policies and implementation plans.
At the same time, we pressured the Justice Department, which has the authority to investigate and sue local police departments found in systematic violation of the law, to take action against the PRPD. The Justice Department had investigated police abuses in Puerto Rico after they were highlighted by the ACLU, and in December 2012, the DOJ sued the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The ACLU filed two amicus briefs in the lawsuit to recommend reforms and suggest how to implement them.
Happily, yesterday’s historic settlement is exactly what we’ve been seeking. The consent decree calls for a court-appointed independent monitor to enforce detailed reforms to police department organizational structures, operational policy and oversight mechanisms, training protocols, and accountability systems. While the consent decree is a huge step forward, it will take hard work and strong political will to turn the PRPD into an accountable police force that respects the human rights of all people on the island. Although the reform process will take years, and our work is far from done, the consent decree means that Puerto Ricans will no longer have to live in fear of their own police force. While Jorge Polaco and José Luis Irizarry Pérez did not live to see this day, others who have been victimized by Puerto Rico’s police force can now hope for a future in which they can have confidence in a police department that protects, rather than harms, them.
Learn more about police brutality and other civil liberties issues: Sign up for breaking news alertsfollow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
- See more at: http://www.libertyvoice.net/2013-07/victory-historic-agreement-will-overhaul-puerto-rico-police-department-notorious-for-brutality/#sthash.CPtkkvjW.dpuf

Puerto Rico Police Reform - News Review

Puerto Rico a Hub for Spying on Latin America - 7/15/2013 - Firuzeh Shokooh Valle | Mike Nova comments: I think we should read this nonsense the other way around


Mike Nova comments: I think we should read this nonsense the other way around: it is the Latin American countries and major European countries and also, and very significantly, Russia and China, who use or want to use Puerto Rico as their convenient intelligence platform to spy on America. I think that this article is an illustration of one of the tools of propaganda: turn the the things around, say just directly opposite of what the truth is, and hope that people will believe you. 



Gobernador se reúne con Kennedy Jr - ENDia


Meet Mexico's First Openly Gay Mayor - Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com

» Meet Mexico's First Openly Gay Mayor
18/07/13 18:49 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
MEXICO CITY -- The first openly gay mayor ever elected in Mexico is scheduled to take office in the rough, violence-plagued state of Zacatecas in... MEXICO CITY -- The first openly gay mayor ever elected in Mexico is scheduled to t...

» Asumirá cargo el primer alcalde gay en México
18/07/13 18:00 from Metro - Últimas noticias
MEXICO (AP) — El primer alcalde electo que reconoce abiertamente ser gay está por asumir su cargo...