One month after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, we hear from longtime Puerto Rican independence activist Oscar López Rivera, who was released in May and is now in San Juan to visit with community members affected by Hurricane Maria. Until earlier this year, Rivera had been in federal prison for 35 years — much of the time in solitary confinement — after he was convicted on federal charges of opposing US authority over the island by force. President Obama commuted his sentence in January.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We continue our coverage of Puerto Rico, one month after Hurricane Maria, as we turn to longtime Puerto Rican independence activist Oscar López Rivera, speaking last week in Puerto Rico. Until earlier this year, he had been in federal prison for 35 years — much of the time in solitary confinement — after he was convicted on federal charges of opposing US authority over the island by force. President Obama commuted his sentence in January, and he was finally released in May.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Oscar López Rivera in the neighborhood of Las Monjas in San Juan. He was busy visiting with community members affected by Hurricane Maria. He spoke with reporter Nicole Salazar while riding in the back of a van.
OSCAR LÓPEZ RIVERA: The overwhelming majority of Puerto Rico is completely, completely alienated from the political structure. Colonialism is really, really strong and alive in Puerto Rico. And the politicians have taken full advantage of that. We have a debt of $74 billion, caused primarily by the system and the political structure that exists in Puerto Rico.
So, for me, it has been very — a very devastating experience, primarily because one of the first things that I noticed was gentrification. We can anticipate that a lot of communities, including this one here, will be displaced once it is beautified, embellished, in the end, and probably gentrified. And this is very close to the ocean. It’s a community with a lot of potential. And once they can…