Puerto Rico: San Juan residents continue call for governor's resignation

W/S Protesters, San Juan
M/S Protesters
C/U Protesters banging spoons against pots
SOT, Alba Reyes, Actress & former miss Puerto Rico 2004 (Spanish): "I was mentioned in the chat of the governor. (Inaudible). One of the things they mention of me is that my mother was assassinated in 2016. And really, the way in which they are completely indifferent in the chat, including two people who know me in person and know that I have been seeking justice for three years. Because the topic of justice in Puerto Rico does not work. Because corruption reaches the police department. The indifference of these people when their 'good morning' is 'good morning, there have been many murders' but no mention at all on how to attack violence. When at the end of the year they mention the amount of dead, the number of people who have been murdered, and at the end they realise that there are 70 dead bodies in forensics that have not been counted."
W/S Protesters
SOT, Alba Reyes, Actress & former miss Puerto Rico 2004 (Spanish): "The level of corruption in this country is something that is systematic, it is not of this government, it is of all the previous governments. But what the chat did was open the eyes of the people that they are disrespecting women, homosexuals, the dead. They don't care about anything. The only thing these people care about is public opinion and how to manipulate it. Because (inaudible). I think the people woke up and I hope that it is not only for this government but a demonstration and a lesson for all the upcoming governments that the people are tired. That we say enough, that we (inaudible) the government, the people and the island that we deserve, without all this corruption. And that for governors who decide to run, be it to serve the people, not to serve them and their friends. We will not tolerate any more lack of respect."
W/S Protesters
SOT, Juan Carlos Jimenez, Protester (Spanish): "In reality we are demonstrating under a chant of 'enough already.' We have endured too much, it has been the same two parties with the same politics. It is no longer red nor blue. Here we are not against one party or a specific leader, we must change the system. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. (Inaudible). It is a feeling of the people that goes beyond that. There is no political party here, here there is a people expressing itself, saying it is going beyond that. The system - no matter what colour it is - has to respect the feeling of the country."
C/U Protester shouting in megaphone
M/S Puerto Rican flags
SOT, Juan Carlos Jimenez, Protester (Spanish): "If the governor doesn't resign, well, this is a starting point. The final point is when he will resign. This is a clear claim. When he resigns, we won't go away from here. Because we are tired."
C/U Lizard on head of protester
C/U Lizard on head of protester
W/S Police
M/S Protester holding sign reading (Spanish) "How is Ricky's [Governor Ricardo Rossello] honesty? Dead"
C/U Sign
W/S Protesters
SCRIPT
Thousands of people protested in Puerto Rico's capital of San Juan on Saturday, as public pressure mounts on Governor Ricardo Rossello to resign in the wake of offensive messages from a private group chat being leaked to the public.
"What the chat did was open the eyes of the people that they are disrespecting women, homosexuals, the dead," said former Miss Puerto Rico Alba Reyes, who was present at the protests. "They don't care about anything. The only thing these people care about is public opinion and how to manipulate it."
"In reality we are demonstrating under a chant of 'enough already.' We have endured too much, it has been the same two parties with the same politics," said protester Juan Carlos Jimenez. "It is no longer red nor blue. Here we are not against one party or a specific leader, we must change the system."
Protests were held over the last week, after nearly 900 pages of private chats between Rosello and members of his inner circle were leaked. The exchanges exposed misogynistic, homophobic and profane messages, but they also contained threats against political opponents. Some comments also mocked victims of Hurricane Maria and disabled people, with a number of cabinet members and top aides involved in the scandal.