Police arrested protesters who blocked part of the Golden Mile

“Puerto Rico’s governor, the Fiscal Financial Control Board, the Bureau of Energy and the U.S. government take responsibility for the island’s energy crisis,” joint spokeswoman Jocelyn Velasquez said in written statements.

Police agents began arriving in the area around 7:00 a.m. In a police statement, they advised motorists in the area to exercise caution as traffic in the area was affected by the protest.

Just after 8:00 a.m., Sergeant Johnny Figueroa announced through a megaphone, “They are issuing a public safety order to disperse,” and left the area.

“If they ignore it, they can be arrested or subjected to other police actions, which we want to avoid. Other police actions include the use of chemical agents or less dangerous explosives if they are in the described area (Muñoz Rivera Avenue),” he warned. section.

For their part, the protesters said traffic flowed without problems until the agents arrived.

Just before 9:00 a.m., shock force agents arrested about a dozen protesters who had decided to sit in the middle of the avenue despite police warnings.

Luis M., the official commander of the San Juan area. Santos Noriega justified the intervention under Traffic Law 22.

“They were told that they were given time, but they could not cross the avenue and block the traffic. In many cases, they were told that they could at least allow one lane to express themselves, but all the time they were negative, until they decided that they had a purpose and wanted to carry it out. They were also told that they would be here,” he told reporters after his arrest.

Although he could not specify a number, he indicated that between 10 and 12 people were arrested.

This media noticed that two of those arrested were activist Alberto de Jesus Mercado, known as Tito Kayak, and teacher leader Eva Ayala.

“They have stolen our leisure time, they are privatizing our schools, our children’s education is going through the roof, they have millions to straighten out the country, but no will,” Ayala denounced after being arrested by agents of the shock force.

Santos Noriega, for his part, reported that the arrested individuals were gathered at the Hato Rey Oeste camps for possible charges to be filed and prosecuted.