“Empowered, Disempowered: Puerto Rico Poor Communities Strive to Survive”
For over a century, communities alongside the San Juan waterway have survived despite sub-human conditions and government neglect. On the fringe of Puerto Rico’s banking district, just minutes from premium tourist and residential areas, eight communities (about 27,000 residents) along the Caño Martín Peña struggle to wrap their minds around the latest news impacting their hopes and dreams.
Since 2002, community leaders have organized, built capacity and have worked diligently on developing solutions to transform their forgotten district. Two milestones on their journey of empowerment are now vulnerable to the changes in local politics: 1) the Special Planning District, which won the American Planning Association’s Paul Davidoff National Award for Social Change and Diversity for demonstrating a sustained social commitment to advocacy and 2) Law 489 which created a Community Land Trust (CLT) so that residents in collectively own the land, and individually have property rights on the use of the land and on their structures and avert gentrification.
Two legislative bills threaten Law 489 and the Community Land Trust: Senate Bill 365 passed without public hearings; House version 1403 passed, was approved by Senate now goes back to the House for approval, and to the Governor (who made strong statements in support of the CLT during the electoral period).
The Group of Eight Communities (G-8) advocate for the land trust and the implementation of their proposed plan to integrate the community with the larger San Juan area by boosting local economic development, cleaning up the environment, and increasing educational opportunities for residents.
So will the Governor of Puerto Rico empower or leave these communities disempowered? Let him know how you feel.
You could join the facebook group Abraza el Caño de Martín Peña.. (via Pedro Cardona)
Leave your comment here and/or tweet this.
For more info visit El Caño Homepage
Comment
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Comment by Rafael Marxuach on July 4, 2009 at 8:11pm -
@Michael It's a little hard to understand, I don't think we could restated only the person who originated could do that? I'll see if I could post a link to this discussion as a commentary.
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Comment by Michael McKenzie on July 4, 2009 at 12:08pm -
Rafi...the petition as it is presented @ care2 is impossible to understand...it needs to be restated in a more precise way so people can understand what it is they are supporting
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Comment by Rafael Marxuach on July 1, 2009 at 7:46pm
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notionsynergy has just created a petition against inconsiderate law projects at the San Juan estuary community in Puerto Rico on the care2petitionsite. care2petitionsite is a websitesite to take action over petitions around the world with over 1,230,000 petitions created.
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Comment by Alicia Griffin on June 23, 2009 at 5:33pm -
Greetings Rafael,
Regarding "Ideas To Solve Housing Problems"...My spirit goes out to all in this community of Puerto Rico. Housing problems exist all over this planet. I often think of future coming days when we all will be able to live peaceful and in a state of serenity in our communities regardless of all the politicing and "red tape" that comfronts us.
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Comment by ® irgeorgellanespecore on June 23, 2009 at 9:36am -
IDEAS To Solve Housing Problems - Presentation Transcript
Ideas to solve housing problems in the world and Think of the advantages and disadvantages of each possibility
Why Housing seen as a problem? For the city as a whole, Why bother to try to solve the problem? Political will Corruption
Forced evictions of squatter settlements – To clear land for formal development Low cost housing – Very basic breeze block housing constructed. People re-housed in them. City Site and Service – Land is cleared and building plots prepared with water and electricity. Self Help Scheme – Existing settlements provided with water, sewage and rubbish collection. Building materials provided for residents to upgrade their homes Rural Development – To reduce rural to urban migration Increasing policing - to stop new squatter settlements RAISE TAXES - ON THE RICH to pay for improving housing for the poor
...dON'T know if who among of you are STILL dealings with thesame problems. Government officials lacks discipline to implement the standard rules. people are just closing their mouth without noticing the environment. - i think, these kind of problem is normal and yet somehow, it needs reaction!!!...it happens everywhere Anyways.
in the long run, HOPE all of this, be still be implemented...
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Comment by Elizabeth on June 23, 2009 at 1:47am -
Dear Rafael, I will most certainly tweet this, and hope others will do the same. I joined the Facebook Group, but I will say that, as an old human rights campaigner, letters can work.
Every politician has their own formula; they know that for every 1,000 or 10,000 people who feel this way, only 1 will actually write. So each letter and phone call is weighted, as though one (more more) thousand people had written or called.
If someone were to post a few sample letters on Facebook for people to adapt and send in, it may have more power than one might think. The legislators will naturally give the most weight to their constituents, but they are also moved by the spectre of negative PR, so foreign letters can help. Can you let me know what else I can do?
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