Scenes From San Juan as Frustration Boils Over

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Two years after Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy, and with the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Maria still hobbling its economic recovery, public frustration has reached a boiling point. People began pouring into the streets of Old San Juan on July 13, after investigative journalists published messages sent by Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló and his inner circle disparaging political foes and ordinary citizens alike. Since then the protests have grown in size and intensity, leading to a mass demonstration on July 22, in which an estimated 100,000 people flooded a highway near San Juan’s financial center. Two days later, after Puerto Rico’s speaker of the House gave the besieged governor hours to resign or face impeachment proceedings, Rosselló said he would leave office August 2. Earlier the same day, a judge imposed a four-month halt on several dozen pieces of litigation that are part of bankruptcy proceedings. The political chaos may have subsided by then, but public anger may continue to mount.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jillian Goodman at jgoodman74@bloomberg.net

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.