MYSOGYNISTIC AND HOMOPHOBIC COMMENTS WITH HIS ALLIES.
IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROTESTS
THE ISLAND HAS EVER SEEN.
GABE GUTIERREZ IS ON THE GROUND
FOLLOWING THE BACKLASH.
GABE, WHAT’S GOING ON NOW?
PR
PR >> ALISYN, THEY ARE BEHIND ME.
THEY CROWDED INTO A SMALL SPACE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, SO MANY PEOPLE
HERE AND THEY ARE DEMANDING
GOVERNOR RICARDO ROSSELLO
RESIGN.
RESIGN. AS YOU MENTIONED, HE’S BEEN
UNFIRE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER
THOSE MESSAGES WERE LEAKED BY
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN
PUERTO RICO.
PUERTO RICO. YESTERDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT
YESTERDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT GOVERNOR ROSSELLO SAID HE WOULD
NOT RESIGN BUT WOULD STEP DOWN
AS HEAD OF HIS POLITICAL PARTY
AND WOULD NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION
NEXT YEAR.
NEXT YEAR. THAT HASN’T SET WELL WITH ANY OF
THE PROTESTERS.
THE PROTESTERS. THEY SAID THEY WON’T QUIT UNTIL
THE GOVERNOR DOES.
>> WHAT’S YOUR NAME?
WHY ARE YOU HERE TODAY?
>> I’M TIRED OF THE CORRUPTION.
THE PUERTO RICAN PEOPLE ARE
TIRED OF THE CORRUPTION.
WE CAME TOGETHER AND WE WANT OUR
GOVERNOR TO LEAVE.
WE FIRE HIM.
IT’S NOT ABOUT RESIGNING.
WE FIRE HIM, THE PEOPLE OF
PUERTO RICO.
PUERTO RICO. >> THE GOVERNOR SAID YESTERDAY
ON FACEBOOK LIVE THAT HE
WOULDN’T SEEK RE-ELECTION.
HE WOULD STIP DOWN AS HEAD OF
HIS POLITICAL PARTY.
HE WOULD NOT RESIGN.
HIM NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION, IS
THAT NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU.
>> WE ALREADY KNEW WHAT HE WAS
GOING TO SAY AND WE ARE
DEVASTATED AND WE JUST -- THAT’S
WHY WE’RE HERE.
>> IS THIS JUST ABOUT THOSE
PRIVATE MESSAGES OR IS IT MORE?
>> IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PRIVATE
MESSAGES, IT’S ABOUT THE
CORRUPTION.
CORRUPTION. WE ARE TIRED OF THE CORRUPTION.
WE CAME TOGETHER TO BOND -- THE
PARTY, ALL OF THE POLITICALS --
POLITICIANS ARE CORRUPT.
THAT’S WHY WE’RE HERE TODAY.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE’VE BEEN
HEARING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
PEOPLE SAYING IT’S NOT ABOUT
THIS MOST RECENT POLITICAL
SCANDAL, THERE’S AN OVERWHELMING
FRUSTRATION HERE AFTER HURRICANE
MARIA AND ACTUALLY DATING BACK
BEFORE HURRICANE MARIA.
THERES A FEELING HERE THAT THEY
ARE FRUSTRATED WITH THEIR
GOVERNMENT, WHAT THEY SEE AS
CORRUPTION WITHIN THIS
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. A WEEK BEFORE THOSE PRIVATE
MESSAGES WERE LEAKED, SEVERAL
LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE ARRESTED BY
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES FOR
CORRUPTION.
CORRUPTION. MANY PEOPLE HERE THINK THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN PENT UP
FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
THEY FEEL THEY ARE FINALLY BEING
HEARD.
HEARD. ORGANIZERS ESTIMATE AT LEAST
250,000 PEOPLE HAVE COME OUT TO
PROTEST TODAY.
PROTEST TODAY. THAT COULD BE A VERY LOW
ESTIMATE.
ESTIMATE. AT ONE POINT THEY THOUGHT MAYBE
A MILLION PEOPLE COULD SHOW UP.
IT’S HARD TO TELL EXACTLY WHAT
THE CROWD SIZE IS.
I CAN TELL YOU, I HAVE NOT SEEN
A DEMONSTRATION THIS LARGE IN
PUERTO RICO.
PUERTO RICO. THE ONE WE SAW LAST WEEK HAD
MAYBE A COUPLE TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE.
OF PEOPLE. THIS ONE APPEARED TO BE MUCH
LARGER AND IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
>> REALLY A LOT OF NOISE RIGHT
NOW, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME.
LAWMAKERS -- THE LATEST ON THAT?
>> WELL, THAT IS THE BIG
QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
IF RICARDO ROSSELLO WERE TO STEP
DOWN, THERE’S ACTUALLY NO CLEAR
SUCCESSOR AT THIS POINT.
HE HAS LOST THE SUPPORT OF MOST
POLITICIANS HERE IN PUERTO RICO,
INCLUDING MANY OF THOSE FROM HIS
OWN PARTY.
OWN PARTY. A LOT OF -- SORRY, IT’S GETTING
A LITTLE LOUD IN HERE AS A
MOTORCYCLE COMES THROUGH.
A LOT OF THE LAWMAKERS ARE
REALLY WEIGHING WHETHER OR NOT
TO MOVE AHEAD WITH IMPEACHMENT
PROCEEDINGS.
PROCEEDINGS. THAT IS WHY MANY OF THE
PROTESTERS SAID IT’S INEVITABLE
INEVITABLE -- SORRY ABOUT THAT
ALLISON, THAT’S LIVE TELEVISION
HERE.
HERE. THIS IS A VERY BOISTEROUS CROWD.
EVERY TIME THAT A MOTORCYCLE
COMES THROUGH, THEY GET EVEN
LOUDER.
LOUDER. BUT AS I WAS SAYING, THE
QUESTION RIGHT NOW IS IS THERE A
PATH FORWARD FOR RICARDO
ROSSELLO, AND THE ANSWER IS IT’S
HARD TO SEE THAT PATH FORWARD.
MANY OF THESE PROTESTERS SAY BY
HIM NOT RESIGNING YESTERDAY, IT
REALLY WILL FORCE LAWMAKERS TO
TRY THESE IMPEACHMENT
PROCEEDINGS.
PROCEEDINGS. TODAY IT REALLY SEEMS TO BE
ABOUT THESE PROTESTERS.
EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN
TOMORROW, THE LEGISLATURE ISN’T
IN SESSION RIGHT NOW.
SO A LOT OF QUESTIONS WILL HAVE
TO BE ANSWERED OVER THE COMING
DAYS IF THESE DEMONSTRATIONS
CONTINUE.
CONTINUE. HOW LONG THIS DEMONSTRATION
DRAGS ON INTO THE NIGHT.
IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS, WE HAVE
SEEN PROTESTERS TAKE THEIR
CONCERNS DIRECTLY TO THE
GOVERNOR’S MANSION.
GOVERNOR’S MANSION. IN FACT, WE DO EXPECT A CROWD IN
OLD SAN JUAN LATER TONIGHT
TAKING THEIR CONCERNS DIRECTLY
THERE.
THERE. WE HAVE NOT HEARD FROM GOVERNOR
ROSSELLO TODAY.
ROSSELLO TODAY. WE DID HEAR FROM HIM YESTERDAY.
IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE
WHETHER TODAY’S DEMONSTRATIONS
AND THE SIZE OF TODAY’S
DEMONSTRATIONS CHANGE HIS MIND
AT ALL.
AT ALL. ALLISON.
ALLISON. >> GABE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
YOUR REPORTING IN THE HEART OF