In late January, protests took place in Puerto Rico. The island territory has been hit hard by natural disasters, the most recent of which was a series of earthquakes. After a video revealed that there was unused emergency aid, a number of Puerto Rican people took to the streets to protest. 

Reminiscent of last year’s protests which led to the removal of the previous governor, Ricardo Rosselló, the protests called for the current governor, Wanda Vázquez, to step down. The protesters expressed their discontent with the government’s actions through marches, signs, and a symbolic guillotine. 

Some who participated in last year’s protests have not joined this time, saying they believe that the marches may make it harder to get the necessary aid to south Puerto Rico. Instead, they have advocated for waiting until the elections in November and voting Vázquez out of office, preventing her second term. 

Those who chose to protest, however, have said that they don’t think waiting until November to call for change is not the right path. They believe it is important to act now. 

In light of the video’s release and the publicity that followed, Vázquez did remove some of the people in charge of the emergency relief efforts. She has placed part of the blame for the unused supplies on those she fired and seems to believe that the reorganization of aid efforts will help improve the situation and enable the government to reach more of the people in need. 

Currently, Vázquez remains in office and is continuing her duties. After the initial response, many of the protests seem to have calmed down. It remains to be seen what Puerto Rican voters will decide in November, and if they believe Vázquez has responded to the situation well.