Activists in New York and Puerto Rico Call on Gov. Cuomo to Divest From Companies Harming Puerto Rico

Jun 10, 2018
10:03 AM

The following release was shared with Latino Rebels on Sunday morning:

New York, NY – Groups in New York and Puerto Rico are calling on Governor Cuomo to terminate investments New York State has in companies they say are harming Puerto Rico.

In a letter issued ahead of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City, activists say to be “disturbed” that New York State is investing in companies that are not only holders of Puerto Rican debt but are also foreclosing on Puerto Rican families, even after the devastation left by hurricane Maria. The firms pushing foreclosures on the island include: The Blackstone Group, TPG Capital, Knighthead among others.

The letter is signed by Puerto Rico based Frente Ciudadano por la Auditoria de la Deuda (Citizen Front for a Debt Audit), New York Communities for Change (NYCC), Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Make the Road Action, and Taller Salud, also based in Puerto Rico.

They argue that New Jersey, a state with less Puerto Rican residents than New York is already taking steps to prohibit its pension system from “directly or indirectly” involved pushing foreclosures on the island after Maria.

The letter is below: