Showing posts with label Boriken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boriken. Show all posts
11.7.16
Through Our Own Eyes Episode 2: Civil Disobedience at Federal Court House in Puerto Rico
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| Translation: The Government Hates You |
The seven members of the board, only one of which has to be a resident but not necessarily a Boricua, would not be paid but could accept gifts during their time on the board.
How long the board will be in place is indefinite. The commitment of the Campamento Contra la Junta, a movement against the fiscal oversight board, intend to resist is equally unlimited.
This week we spoke with Victor Torres, a communications committee member for the camp, about their efforts to mobilize the masses against the implementation of PROMESA , and to demand the decolonization of Boriken.
Victor also told us how federal officers have used fumes from generators and bright work lights to smoke out activist from the encampment.
Listen to the full interview here and every Monday on KBOO 90.7 FM on the evening news at 5pm.
Through Your Own Eyes is made possible by contributors like yourself.
Every contributor will receive a postcard from Boriken with our gratitude. If you enjoyed this program and would like to support it click here. Be sure to look us up on KBOO 90.7 FM and Facebook.
9.7.16
Luxury Poverty
If being poor is expensive then living under colonial rule is baller. Between an 11.5% and the Jones Act, goods in Puerto Rico are very expensive. With the passing of the PROMESA Act, Borikuas and other residence may face even greater economic challenges both as a nation and individually.
At the time of writing this I have been living in Portland for five years and some of the comparisons I will be making will be with Oregon summer 2016 and Puerto Rico summer 2016.
In Portland, Oregon you have the option of taking the bus, light rail, or streetcar. You can get a pass for 2.5 hours for $2.50 with unlimited transfers for that time window on to any of those vehicles. The system is reliable except in bad weather and bridge raisings. All vehicles in Portland’s public transportation fleet can transport bicycles.
In the metropolitan area of Puerto Rico, the bus fare is $.75 no transfer. Their schedule is unpredictable and there is no reliable app to track the bus. They do not go very far so you have to walk or pay for another bus when you transfer. There is the Tren Urbano, 10.7 mile long train system that runs through part of the western part of the metro area. The fare for the train $1.50 and you get one transfer but you can only use it from the station. You need to buy a card included in the price of the fare and it has to go through a device on the bus that reads it. Often the card does not work so a rider will have to pay $.75 for the fare. Then there are Carros Públicos, a kind of shared or public taxi. The cost starting at $1.00, not the most reliable or comfortable but more abundant and available than the bus system is during the day.
The entire system operates on both local and federal funds. With so many people relying on public transportation for employment and access to services, any tampering with the system by the board could be devastating on top of the already destructive effects PROMESA will have.
The minim wage in Puerto Rico is currently $7.25 and few people work 40hrs a week. Studio apartments on average are $600 in the metro area. You would have to work 82.7 hours to make that, assuming you are not paying income taxes.
Assuming you were working 40 hrs. and not paying taxes, that leaves you with $560 a month. Say you live on the other side of town from where you work. You would need to take probably a bus and the train. With the bus being so unreliable you have to set out early. So that could be an extra hour or two of your day along with the $.75 for the bus and the $1.50 for the train. You just spent 2.25 and you may, if you’re lucky only have to spend that same amount for the trip home. That would be $4.50 every day for six days a week assuming your 40 hours being made at the same job and you work 8 hours a day. With an average of 4.47 weeks in a month, one could spend $120.69 a month on public transportation between home and work. That leaves $439.31 a month. Does not sound too bad, but anyone making minim wage probably does not have these ideal conditions to work with.
The PROMESA Act will lower the minim wage to $4.25 an hour for people under 25 in their first 3 months of employment at a new job. So instead of working 82 hours to make rent for the studio one would have to put in 141 hours and have only $39.21 at the end of the month, after transportation and before taxes. All this under the same ideal conditions that no one is actually living under on the island. This model is a best case scenario in a difficult living situation.
Food is another huge expense on the island, much of the produce needs to be imported and thanks the Jones Act the cost are much higher than they would need to be. Foreign goods with imports destined for Puerto Rico have to travel to Jacksonville, Florida and be unloaded then reloaded onto US ships with US crews. Then they must travel 1462nm and 6 days to Puerto Rico.
Say that you were a box of plantains from the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is only 254nm and 1 day away but you would travel 2816nm before making it to the supermarket in Rio Piedras, PR.
All these steps cost money and distance will have an impact on cost. What is to keep the Fiscal Board from raising taxes on imports, similar to how the US had invaded the Dominican Republic to control their Customs authority?
Puerto Rico is considered a paradise by many tourist but it is a struggle for those that live and work on the island. Many people that provide the friendly tropical utopian facade may never have a vacation other than a few days off. Even in leisure the working poor of Boriken are struggling and working to make ends meet and to aces goods and services they need to be well enough to work. It is a luxury to live under capitalism and to struggle in a system that will exploit you and your body. With these wages and cost of living, surviving in Boriken with minim wage is the most baller thing someone can do.
22.6.16
Through Our Own Eyes: What this project is all about.
When colonialism is spoken about in the USA it is often as a foreign practice of old empires.Through Our Own Eyes is a multimedia project illuminating the truth behind colonialism in Boriken. Boriken,known by its colonized name ,Puerto Rico, is a free associated state ( or colony), of the United States of America. Few residents of the American Empire know or understand the 118 year old relationship between the two nations. For instance, Boriken provides a steady supply of recruits for the US military, tax shelters for US businesses and cheap labor for pharmaceutical companies. Borikuas also pay medicare tax yet receive less benefits than residents of the US. Let us not forget that although Borikuas are subject to selective service and past drafts since WW1 they do not have the right to participate in presidential elections.
European-American settler folk are trying to understand their place in the world. This project's objective is to educate them and to create solidarity between Borikuas and other people suffering under colonialism. Follow us on Blogspot, Facebook, Youtube and KBOO 90.7 FM. If you feel moved by this project and want to support it further please feel free to donate $here$. Do not forget to email stevie.elepan@gmail.com. All contributors will receive a postcard from Boriken.
Palante, Siempre Palante!
Stevie Elepan
Stevie Elepan
20.6.16
Through Our Own Eyes: Update 20/6/16
Hello Comrades,
We are 7 days away from starting the Puerto Rico phase of our project. Already we have organized interviews and coordinating with other comrades both in Oregon and Boriken (Puerto Rico).
This phase will be multimedia educational series on colonialism in Boriken. With help from our friends at KBOO we have a platform for weekly radio segments, training, access to some minor equipment, and the assistance of KBOO volunteers in developing this series. There will be a video element that connects the colonial past to the colonial present and the blog I Will Not Obey on blogspot will also be incorporated.
We have decided to name the series THROUGH OUR OWN EYES. Colonialism is often presented through a eurocentric or imperialist gaze. it is time there is more work presented by the people that live under colonialism.
At this point we have raised $896, out of the $10800 we are asking for, in one month. KBOO has given us airtime to promote this project. A Zumba fundraiser, hosted by a comrade, was successful in raising funds. Other folks have volunteered their time, skills and equipment to help this project go forward. Even Jubilee Oregon has offered to contribute.
We still have a long way to go of course. The project will run from the 27th of June to the 10th of November. Funding will go to any travel expenses that the team may need, daily meals, and unforeseen expenses and compensating host.
Of course, you do not have to throw a fundraiser or be a big organization to help. Sharing our fundraiser, blog, KBOO page to help support us. If you do feel intrigued or inspired by this project please feel free to donate $10, $20 or even $100 to our crowdfunding page. Make sure we get your mailing address too so that we can send you a postcard with our gratitude from Boriken.
Stevie Elepan
Team Leader
Through Our Own Eyes stevie.elepan@gmail.com
31.5.16
International Coalition Building Mission: Starting From The Beginning
Imperialism, colonialism, and neo colonialism have been very popular words used in the Portland liberal left but few people really understand what these words mean unless they have lived with these afflictions. Some folks will speak of England and India when they speak of colonialism and not even realize that the United Snakes of Amerikkka has its own colonies like Guam, USVI, American Samoa, Mariana Islands, FS of Micronesia and my home Boriken (Puerto Rico). There is a need and a desire that people voting in the US and think they are doing something radical know about US citizens that do not have that right or any power other than the power of the masses. So I will start my mission where I came from.After much discussion and advice from my comrades in AAPRP and PCHRP, I have been able to make a more solid plan for this project. I have decided to start by making a trip to Boriken and reconnect with old friends, family, new comrades and most importantly my grandmother. In cooperation with KBOO I will be writing on the capitalist colonial crisis on the island. I will be be writing about Afrikan and indigenous identity,racism,militarization of the police,cuts in government spending, the fiscal board, Amerikkkan occupation, gentrification, resistance and organizing. I will be talking with with the proletariat and local organizations. I will be traveling around the island getting people's view on the relationship with the United Snakes and how they see this coming election. I will start working on writing a personal but true story of our struggle.
The plan is to raise funds For the next few weeks through the GoFundMe website and with the help of comrade Amru who is hosting a Zumba in the Park Fundraiser on june 17th. KBOO has taken interest and will get me exposure while giving me a platform to share our story.
I would traveling on July 1st just in time for the Fourth of the Lie and seeing how my people celebrate or not celebrate this Amerikkkan holiday. I would be staying out there until November tenth so i can cover the Puerto Rico elections on the 8th of November 2016.
Between that time I will be moving around the island and the outer islands getting people's stories and views and reaching out to local organizations for interviews and perspective.
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