They made their demands in an advertisement placed on a billboard in the town where the U.S. president-elect lives.
friday, december 11, 2020 - 2:10 p.m.
By José A. Delgado https://www.elnuevodia.com/corresponsalias/washington-dc/notas/grupos-de-la-diaspora-piden-a-joe-biden-impulsar-la-cancelacion-de-la-deuda-de-puerto-rico-y-un-proceso-de-libre-determinacion/
Washington D.C. - Community organizations placed an ad on a billboard in President-elect Joe Biden's Delaware neighborhood, saying that justice for Puerto Rico means debt cancellation, a fair recovery from recent natural disasters, and a process of political self-determination.
It is an initiative of the groups Make the Road Action and Casa in Action, which are part of three dozen organizations that will send a letter to Biden to indicate that "he will have a historic and timely opportunity to create a legacy that finally recognizes the impact that colonialism has had on Puerto Rico and other territories, and create a clear path to a just recovery and true self-determination for the people of Puerto Rico."
The ad was placed on a billboard near Biden's transition committee office in Wilmington.
Julio López Varona, co-director of the Center for Popular Democracy's Dignity Campaigns, said that several groups will hold activities in Delaware next week to urge Biden to support "black and brown communities," and among the demands will be issues concerning Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rican diaspora groups and grassroots organizations in solidarity with Puerto Rico are calling on the president-elect to, among other things, repeal the Promesa Act, cancel the debt and have the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigate allegations against hedge funds of insider trading related to the debt restructuring.
In the face of a fair recovery, the immediate disbursement of funds from the federal Housing Department (HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico, after the catastrophe caused by Hurricane Maria on the island, is demanded.
It also requests a permanent exemption for Puerto Rico from federal cabotage regulations, and full access for the island to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), Medicaid and other health programs.
Another demand is for a compensation fund for the residents of Vieques and Culebra after decades of U.S. bombing and military exercises on those island municipalities, as well as compliance with international environmental cleanup standards and the construction of a hospital for Viequenses.
The letter proposes to immediately initiate "a process of decolonization" and alludes to a bill by Puerto Rican Democratic Congresswomen Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez that proposes to bind Congress to convene a Status Convention in Puerto Rico.
To advance these ideas, the organizations indicated, the inter-agency working group that Biden proposes to reactivate should focus on the points outlined in the letter.
Organizations preparing the document include the Center for Popular Democracy, Casa, Power4PuertoRico, Latino Justice PRLDEF, 32BJ Union, Alianza for Puerto Rico/Massachusetts, Boricuas Unidos en la Diaspora, Make the Road, Construyamos Otro Acuerdo, Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH), Diaspora in Action, Diaspora in Resistance, DiaspoRicans for Self Determination and Hedge Clippers.
As a candidate for the White House, Biden promised to push for a binding status process for the federal government, with representation from all sectors. He has also indicated that he wants to smooth the operation of the Fiscal Oversight Board (FOSB), accelerate disbursements for the island's recovery and promote the territory's access to SSI, and parity in programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and food assistance.
In a letter this week, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Raúl Grijalva also urged Biden to quickly implement the promises he made to Puerto Rico, such as reactivating the interagency task force on the island, addressing the status issue, and alleviating the public debt burden.