“I’m just proud of my people. They did it alone. They didn’t need the United States, they didn’t need anybody famous and they fought for what they felt was right for them,” said Jannett Campos, of New Britain.
Rosselló’s resignation follows almost two weeks of protests, including on Monday when hundreds of thousands of people packed one of San Juan’s biggest highways. It paralyzed the city.
Protestors have been demanding the resignation of the governor since almost 900 pages of private chats involving the governor were leaked. NBC News reports the chats were misogynistic and homophobic and included jokes about death following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Alfredo Santiago’s brothers were some of the protestors.
“People were really tired. People got tired of being pushed to the side and he not attending to their needs,” said Alfredo Santiago, of New Britain.
Santiago is referring to how long it took his family in Puerto Rico to get basic supplies after Hurricane Maria. He said he was shipping them canned goods and water because they didn’t have access to any of it for about a month and half.
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The protests were inspiring for Bea Angueira, a UConn graduate who moved back to Puerto Rico a few years ago for law school. She has been active in the protests.
“It’s a movement that has captured everyone -- no matter your socioeconomic situation, no matter your background -- everyone has come together, your ideology, your political stance. I never thought that this moment would actually happen. You dream about this happening, but to live it is just phenomenal,” said Bea Angueira, who lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
But Angueira and Campos said despite the governor’s decision to resign, the fight is far from over.
“The reality is this still has to keep going because there still is a lot of corruption,” Angueira said.
“I am very proud that they fought for decades of control and oppression and I hope they continue to fight because a lot of people feel this is not over,” said Campos.
