A Silent March to Protest Federal Response to Puerto Rico
About a hundred New Yorkers marched from East Harlem to Trump Tower on Sunday to protest the ongoing plight of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Puerto Rican flags waved in the wind, but cheers were few and far between. The organizers of the march wanted it to be silent, because they said they are tired of shouting for the Trump Administration to do more for the island.
"So many people have yelled and screamed, depressed. Everyone's outraged at this president," said Aurora Flores, a co-organizer of the march. "There are no more words to say about this president and that's why we're doing it silent."
The New York march happened in tandem with the Unity March for Puerto Rico in Washington, D.C., attended by thousands on the National Mall.
Susan Phillips attended the silent march in New York because she said she's still consumed by the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico.
"It's a horrifying situation,"Â Phillips said. "I wanted to just be here to say I care."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Friday that over 15,000 federal civilian personnel and military service members are on the ground in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
New York state Governor Andrew has sent more than 160 utility workers and nearly 100 utility vehicles to Puerto Rico to help restore the island's power grid.
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