Thoughts on Puerto Rico

By Wesley "Abu Sumayyah" Lebrón

At times I feel like I need to scream, cry, and drop to my knees when thinking about Puerto Rico and my people, especially now that the reality of death has struck home with my own family.

My heart and soul is with my family in PR. I lost a cousin last night to the bacteria in the water. She was only 17 and died within two days.

Many have no clue of the oppression our people currently face. You wake up not knowing about eating healthy because the food you’ve been given lacks the adequate nutrients. You fear drinking the water because it has become infected with bacteria! You fear to now wash your clothes in the river after catching a skin rash and your kids come out with a fever soon thereafter. You fear to drink soda and juice from cans because you just lost a family member who drank and as a result died because of the bacteria within two days.

The heat at night is suffocating. The shower is ice cold for those who have water and for those who do not, you start to smell yourself, because you fear to shower with river water and you are waiting to collect the rain water which is the safest to bathe with.

At night, you are in complete darkness because the electricity have not been repaired, and they promised by December, but now they say February, and next thing you know a year will go by, as you return to living in the same conditions your grandparents used to tell you about.

You don’t want to go to the mainland because, why should you leave all that you love behind? But you wait and wait and wait and wait for help but none seems to arrive. Some after becoming sick, they rush to the mainland only to make it just in time to die here.

And all this time, we have people in the WHITE house trumpified. They are following a man who is literally allowing a genocide to occur! Where are your only 16 deaths now Mr Trump?! Your selfish behavior is reckless and your recklessness aided in killing my cousin and my people! You are to BLAME! You are a murderer, no better than those who use a weapon, but in fact worse, because you can assist the one in need, but yet you refuse!