Dear HPAD Supporter:

The crisis in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria is not simply the result of a natural disaster; it is the product of the racist, colonial relationship of the U. S. State to the people of the island.  The lack of an emergency response by the federal government and the outrageous attacks on Puerto Rican officials unleashed by the unhinged U. S. president dramatically demonstrate the devastating consequences of U.S. colonial rule.  

We call on all HPAD supporters to respond both with material aid to the Puerto Rican people on the island, and with political action against the Trump regime. We recommend sending aid through the Puerto Rican Agenda at https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/pallets-and-planes-puerto-rico-hurricane-relief.  Politically, we recommend raising the following demands in every available venue: (1) massive and immediate AID to Puerto Rico now, no strings attached; (2) eliminate the Puerto Rican debt (3) eliminate the Jones Act and allow other countries to trade directly with Puerto Rico.  In the longer run we need to demand the abolition of the JUNTA and PROMESA and the decolonization of Puerto Rico.  (See “Washington Set Puerto Rico up for Disaster,” New York Times 9-28-2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/opinion/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria.html?_r=0

See the “Waive the Jones Act for Puerto Rico” petition at https://www.change.org/p/department-of-homeland-security-waive-the-jones-act-for-all-cargo-at-ports-in-puerto-rico-to-aid-hurricane-maria-relief?source_location=discover_feeds

 Van Gosse Margaret Power, Andor Skotnes