By Danica Coto
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) —
Puerto Rico on Tuesday braced for
potential political upheaval after the
U.S. territory’s governor denied allegations
of obstruction of justice while the
main opposition party demanded she
be investigated and hinted at a possible
impeachment process.
In a brief statement issued late Monday,
Gov. Wanda Vazquez for the first
time acknowledged an alleged investigation
that the island’s Department of
Justice is supposedly conducting against
her, saying she was never told about any
investigation. She also denied recently
firing the former justice secretary in
alleged retribution.
The details of the alleged investigation
were not immediately known.
Vazquez promised to speak further
on the issue on Tuesday.
“I will share all details up front as I’ve
done my whole career. With the truth,”
she said.
Vazquez’s statement comes after she
announced late Friday that she had
accepted the resignation of former justice
secretary Dennise Longo. No further
details were given at the time.
The governor released the statement
hours after an incident at the Puerto
Rico Office of the Special Independent
Prosecutor’s Panel. Nydia Cotto, a
former judge who serves as the panel’s
presdient, told The Associated Press
that someone from the Department
of Justice was about to drop off files
on Monday related to six cases slated
for investigation but abruptly left after
receiving a call from an unidentified
person at the Department of Justice.
“That has never happened before,”
she said.
Cotto declined to identify the people
named in those cases or share any other
details, saying they were confidential.
Puerto Rico’s newest justice secretary,
Wandymar Burgos, said in a statement
that she requested the documents
on the six cases because she had
just found out about them on Monday
and needed to know what they were
about.
“Let it be abundantly clear to all the
people of Puerto Rico that all investigations
of merit will be carried out to
the last consequence, regardless of the
person involved,” she said.
Before the governor released her
statement, the opposition Popular
Democratic Party held a press conference
in which leaders announced they
had requested a legislative investigation
into the allegations of obstruction
of justice. It was not immediately clear
if the leader of Puerto Rico’s House of
Representatives, who is a member of
Vazquez’s party, would grant permission
for such an investigation.
Caribbean Life, July 17-23, 2020 3
Parents, students and staff of St. Gregory The Great Catholic Academy protest the schools closing.
Photo by Kevin Williams
Protest against Brooklyn
Catholic school’s closing
By Nelson A. King & Kevin Williams
Students, parents and staff of St.
Gregory The Great Catholic Academy
staged a protest against the closing of
their school in front of their school
building on Sunday, July 12.
Melissa Campbell, president of the
Home Academy Association (HAA) who
organized the protest said the association
was fighting to keep the academy
open. She called on parents to assist in
getting new students to register as one
of the reasons given by the church was
the decline in enrollment.
Campbell and the association are on
a fundraising drive to raise $300,000 for
the school and has started a GoFundMe
project.
During the protest, former principal
Rudolph Cyrus said he was disappointed
and downhearted to hear about
the school being closed. “I was never
expecting the school to be closed especially
at this time when we are in a crisis
already and asking parents to come out
and look for a new school for their children
and that is unbecoming.”
“I don’t see the school not being
viable based on the fact that I have only
left a year now and based on the budget
I had prepared. I know a revised budget
would have had to be prepared based on
the number of students who returned to
school in September. I think we should
ask the principal and the accountant to
give us an account of what happened in
the last year so that we can see where
the school has failed to collect,” said
Cyrus. He suggested that following the
accounting, a meeting should be held
with the principal, board of directors of
the school and the parents to channel a
course forward including seeking funds
from organizations.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Council Member
Dr. Mathieu Eugene said on Friday
that he was “saddened” by the closing
of Catholic schools in New York City,
including six schools in the Diocese of
Brooklyn and Queens, due to loss of
revenue resulting from the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic, suddenly throwing
many devoted Caribbean teachers
on the breadline.
“I believe that education is the best
tool we can give to our children so that
they are prepared to reach their full
potential,” Eugene, who the predominantly
Caribbean 40th Council District
in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life. “Education
is not only a tool for success, but
it also shapes the minds and mentality
of human beings.
“I am saddened to learn that Catholic
schools serving New York City, including
sections of Brooklyn, will be forced
to close their doors due to economic
strains resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic,” added the first Haitian to be
elected to New York City Council. “Our
schools provide a sense of empowerment
to the communities they serve,
and the closing of any school can be a
detriment to young people.
“These institutions of learning are
so important for students and families
from all walks of life and religious backgrounds,
and I commend the leadership
of the Brooklyn Diocese for helping students
find alternative schools to enroll
in,” Eugene continued.
“I believe it is essential that our society
works together to find resources
to save these schools, so that they can
continue to prepare our young people to
be the future leaders of our great city,”
he said.
On Thursday, the Diocese of Brooklyn
Office of the Superintendent – Catholic
School Support Services announced
that six Catholic academies, located in
Brooklyn and Queens, will permanently
close, effective Aug. 31, 2020.
“The devastating effects of the
COVID-19 crisis on enrollment and
finances, an issue faced by many Catholic
schools in the region and across the
country, made it impossible for them to
reopen for the coming school year,” said
the diocese in a statement.
It said the following Catholic academies
will not reopen: Queen of the
Rosary in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; St.
Gregory the Great in Crown Heights/
Flatbush, Brooklyn; Our Lady’s Catholic
Academy in South Ozone Park,
Queens; Our Lady of Grace in Howard
Beach, Queens; Holy Trinity Catholic
Academy in Whitestone, Queens; and
St. Mel’s Catholic Academy in Flushing,
Queens.
Mary-Lyn Buckley of News 12 (right)
interviews Melissa Campbell, president
of the Home Academy Association.
Photo by Kevin Williams
Puerto Rico
braces for political
upheaval involving
governor