Posted in ICHRAPress Release
Thank you, Joselyn Cortes @joselynncortes for sharing your photos from the Los Almendros beach protests with us. Ms. Cortes also has many videos documenting the protests on her Instagram account.
New York, NY
Dated: August 4, 2021
Local residents and civil and human rights activists and protesters have been protesting on the Los Almendros public beach in the southwestern town of Rincon, Puerto Rico for weeks. They believe that private developers are infringing on Puerto Rico’s protected public lands and endangering the island’s natural resources, including protected species like the endangered hawksbill and the leatherback sea turtle. There are also reports that police are engaging in violence to quell the protest.
Sol y Playa Condominiums, a private developer, began reconstruction of a pool on the beach destroyed by Hurricane Maria. The pool is very close to the shoreline and near the nesting sites of endangered hawksbill birds and leatherback sea turtles. Seeking to protect the endangered creatures’ nesting sites and preserve the public beach, the local residents have camped on the beach for weeks demanding an investigation and cessation of the reconstruction. Trained observers from human and civil rights groups state that the area where the pool is being reconstructed is home to a protected endangered species of hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles whose nests have been disrupted by the construction.
The protesters and citizens of Rincon believe political corruption has a hand in why the developers are allowed to encroach on public land and or destroy the habitat of these native species.
Congressmembers Nydia Velasquez and other Congressmembers issued a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife urging that federal agency to protect endangered wildlife in the area. Members of the Puerto Rico legislature have also voiced objections.
Meanwhile, Pedro Pierluisi, the Governor of Puerto Rico, stated he will protect the rights of the private developer and has permitted the deployment of police. A large number of police officers were deployed and private police were deputized under unknown authority. Many observers state that the police are using excessive force in an attempt to stop protesters and suppress protest and lawful assembly. Protestors state that the police have been blocking public access to the public beach in a way that is intended to benefit and possibly aid private interest.
ACLU and other observers believe that the “Unidad de Contención” (Contention Unit), which uses intimidating and violent tactics, was deployed, despite police reforms that were supposed to end the use of Tactical Force Units in Puerto Rico,
A main concern for protesters and observers is that police videotape protesters with their personal cell phones before any potential crime has been committed. Observers believe the purpose of the videotapes is to identify people and target them for later arrests.
There are also concerns that private police have also been deputized and deployed and it’s unclear under whose authority. These private police have no visible badges or name tags on their uniforms/clothes but they are armed. When asked to identify themselves, they claim they do not have to give their names. Research shows that this private police force was hired by a company called American Police Services, Inc. located in Aguadilla.
According to observers, the police have committed egregious violations of the Carta de Derechos de Puerto Rico and the U.S. Constitution. These include searches without probable cause, entering private property without consent or warrants, brutality targeting young women, physical assault, gender-orientation discrimination and interference with internet and cell phone access. According to reports, there is no supervision of daily police activities on site.
To date, a stop and desist letter was sent to the private developer and the Condominio has voluntarily ceased construction but has not restored nor mitigated the damage done to the beach or wildlife nesting there.
The authorities, which include the PR agency “Administración de Recursos Naturales” and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife are investigating. The U.S. Department of Justice was called in to investigate the human and civil rights violations.
“UNITED SIKHS supports the right of protesters to assemble and protest peacefully worldwide, regardless of gender, race, creed, nationality, ethnicity and or sexual orientation,” stated Gurpreet Singh, UNITED SIKHS CEO. “We stand in solidarity with the protesters in Rincon and urge the Governor of Puerto Rico to ensure their right to lawfully assemble and protest is protected.” he stated.
By: Gundeep Singh
Media Coordinator
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