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Description
From the Stated Meeting of Philadelphia City Council held Thursday, September 28, 2017:
Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr., CEO of Esperanza and former Councilman Angel Ortiz speak during the Public Comment period about the humanitarian crisis affecting the 3.4 Million Americans in Puerto Rico.
B
Good
morning,
honorable
council,
president
Clark
and
honorable
members
of
our
Philadelphia
City
Council.
Thank
you
thank
you
for
allowing
me
to
briefly
address
the
issue
of
Puerto
Rico's
humanitarian
crisis
and
highlight
some
steps
towards
the
relief
that
this
body
can
affect
not
only
for
the
people
currently
suffering
in
Puerto
Rico,
but
also
for
your
constituents
here
in
our
city,
close
to
150,000,
Puerto
Ricans
live
in
Philadelphia,
a
of
representing
approximately
eight
point.
B
Five
percent
of
our
population
almost
all
have
not
just
one
but
several
family
members
in
Puerto
Rico,
as
well
as
friends
and
other
loved
ones.
There
are
also
250,000
proto
Rican,
spread
throughout
the
state,
primarily
in
the
cities
of
Redding
Allentown
Bethlehem
Lancaster
in
New
York,
as
such
Berto
Rico's
plight
is
being
acutely
felt
in
our
Commonwealth
and
in
our
city.
As
a
result
of
this
category,
five
hurricane
called
Maria
Berto
Rico,
has
suffered
a
complete
loss
of
its
basic
infrastructure.
This
loss
is
comparable
to
the
effects
of
Hurricane
Katrina
in
New
Orleans.
B
Currently
there
is
no
electrical
infrastructure
left
on
the
island
and
it
is
expected
it
will
take
four
to
six
months
to
restore
it.
Most
of
the
island
has
no
capacity
for
communication,
either
internally
or
externally.
We
are
deeply
concerned
that
seven
days
into
this
event,
we
still
don't
know
if
four
hospitals
in
the
western
part
of
the
island
are
open.
We
do
know
that
for
functioning
hospitals
are
overwhelmed
and
and
are
partially
working
due
to
a
lack
of
power.
B
Other
basic
resources,
the
Puerto
Rican
and
Hispanic
community
elected
officials
of
Philadelphia
are
of
one
Accord
state,
senator
Tartaglia
on
state
representative,
Cruz
and
Vasquez
and
Councilwoman
Maria,
quinones
Sanchez.
We
ask
that
our
City
Council
add
your
voice
to
theirs
and
hundreds
of
others
asking
Congress
to
pass
a
supplemental
appropriations
bill
to
ensure
that
there
will
be
adequate
resources
in
the
FEMA
Disaster
Relief
Fund
and
the
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
development's
disaster
recovery
CDBG
grant.
We
also
feel
that
10
days
of
for
the
Jones
Act
is
now
and
it
needs
to
be
extended.
B
We
feel
the
tremendous
urgency
of
this
situation
and
a
need
for
immediate
action.
More
than
half
of
us
of
our
organization
as
per
nonsense.
Staff
and
stakeholders
are
Puerto
Rican
or
married
into
Puerto
Rican
families.
Most
of
them
have
still
not
been
able
to
hear
from
their
loved
ones
a
week
into
this
catastrophe.
Economic
conditions
on
the
island
are
well
past.
The
breaking
point
we
asked
we
ask
that
you
encourage
the
Treasury
Department
to
ensure
there
is
enough
cash
delivered
to
the
island
to
address
the
economic
situation.
B
We
also
ask
that
you
ask
the
US
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
to
take
on
the
threat
of
the
breach
and
ngahiraka.
Finally,
we
can
ask
what
can
City
Council
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia
do
directly?
Can
we
consider
matching,
but
New
York
City
is
doing
as
they
have
pledged
to
send
over
1,500
volunteers,
starting
with
100,
firefighters
and
police
rescue
workers?
If
the
American
citizens
of
Puerto
Rico
are
not
assisted,
they
will
lead
to
migrate
in
unprecedented
numbers
to
the
mainland
of
the
United.
B
States
Pennsylvania
and
Philadelphia
will
need
to
receive
hundreds,
if
not
thousands,
of
people
fleeing
the
uninhabitable
conditions
on
our
island.
How
do
we,
as
a
city
prepare
I,
believe
our
first
responsibility
is
to
prepare
the
audit
of
Puerto
Rico
quickly
and
anything
our
city
and
state
can
do
to
aid
in
this
repair
should
be
considered
an
investment
in
our
mutual
prosperity,
Thank
You
councilman.
Thank
you
for
your
testimony.
B
A
A
Mauri
councilman
good
morning,
thank
you
for
him.
Clark
and
members
of
City
Council
I
haven't
spoken
in
this
floor
for
a
very
long
time
and
I'm
very
angry
today,
because
Porto
Rico
is
being
treated
with
contempt
by
the
federal
government.
The
entry
that
were
contempt
by
the
President
of
the
United
States
people
are
dying
in
Porto
Rico.
It's
no
longer
a
matter.
You
see
it
every
day
on
CNN
and
MSNBC,
and
every
TV
station
10
days,
waiver
of
the
Jones
Act
is
laughingly
stupid.
A
It
takes
ten
days
for
your
vote
to
reach
Porto
Rico
from
Jacksonville
ten
days,
but
the
Rico
because
of
this
colonial
situation
cannot
get
food
from
any
other
source.
Food
has
to
be
delivered
to
Puerto
Rico
food
is
scarce
in
Puerto
Rico,
the
whole
agricultural
business
of
which
the
vehicle
has
been
destroyed.
We
are
a
colonial
property
of
the
United
States
history
right
now,
172
billion
dollars
to
be
paid.
A
Seventy
two
billion
dollars,
there's
no
money
for
wall
street
in
Puerto,
Rico
and
Congress-
has
to
act
on
that
and
this
council
and
this
party
and
this
city
has
to
stand
up
behind
the
Puerto
Rican
people
and
we
have
to
say
to
our
congressional
delegation
to
our
people.
The
debt
that
is
owed
to
Wall
Street
has
to
be
eliminated.
A
A
Trump
has
not
asked
the
House
of
Representatives,
so
a
certain
amount
of
money
of
a
to
Puerto
Rico.
We
as
a
body
the
representatives
of
the
city
of
Philadelphia.
We
have
to
stand
together
behind
governor
wolf
behind
the
Puerto
Rican
community
of
this
city.
Behind
the
community
of
this
nation
we
are
5
million
strong
in
the
continental
United
States,
and
what
they're
trying
to
do
I
believe
is
ethnic
cleansing
of
rhetoric.
Oh,
the
real
estate
has
become
very
valuable.
A
Gentrification
of
Puerto
Rico
will
be
taking
place.
People
will
have
to
evacuate
the
island
because
there
is
no
jobs
and
no
future
there.
We
need
what
we
call
a
Marshall
Plan
for
Puerto
Rico,
and
we
need
the
government
of
the
United
States
and
the
Congress
to
be
responsible
for
118
years
of
colonialism
that
have
perpetuated
this
situation.
A
A
There
is
an
uncashed
check
to
be
given
to
the
people
of
Puerto
Rico
and
we
have
to
demand
it,
not
yes,
as
Puerto
Ricans
from
the
city,
but
a
citizens
of
the
city
of
Philadelphia
that
we
stand
up
and
we
say:
stop
it.
Mr.
chump,
the
ocean
is
big.
The
island
is
surrounded
by
water,
because
that's
what
Islands
are?
They
are
surrounded
by
water
and
we
speak
Spanish,
but
we're
not
Mexican
so
then
confuses
you
can't
belong
to
Rico.