The Ponce Massacre as described and told by Isabella Marizana. She is a witness to the horrible deeds performed by the Puerto Rican police on March 21, 1937.
While it is only a day after the massacre, I feel as though I must write down these words before I forget the story. The Ponce Massacre, as it has been called, has been one of the most horrific disasters Puerto Rico has ever faced. All the deaths and injuries caused because of a mere misunderstanding and poor lawful leading; who ever thought that the Puerto Rican police would open fire on a crowd of nationalists. It is not their constitutional right that they can protest? Does it not state that they have the right to rally and protest?
Now, starting at the beginning… From what the newspapers have released and from what my neighbors have told me, the Partido Nacionalista had decided that they were to organize a march to protest the unfair jailing of their leaders. It is not as though they were doing it to cause trouble or death; they merely were trying to free their leaders from jail. This act is not uncommon here in this nation so this was supposed to be a peaceful march. The Nationalists had made announcements in the newspapers for a week to their fellow nationalists informing them about the march: dates and times as to where it was going to be held. The Nationalists even had requested a permit that enabled them to march.
That’s when everything got bloody. The Puerto Rican police did not want the nationalists to be marching and drawing support from others so they withdrew the permit that the nationalists had received from Governor Diego hoping that they would just go home. That, however, is not how the actual march ended though… it ended as the nationalists went against the police using their rights to march and protest and the police began to fire at the crowd.
At two pm yesterday I heard the screaming and shots and I cannot get these memories out of my mind no matter how hard I try. Whenever I close my eyes I can imagine the blood spill and the danger that everybody on the streets of Ponce we in. The reality is, I cannot believe that the nation that I live under so proudly, would shoot at innocent civilians in order to keep a few people of little importance in prison. The police caused all the trouble and killed eight people instantly. They were friends, family, nationalists of all the Puerto Ricans. Our brother, our neighbors… all these people were innocent in an act caused by our national leaders. Many others I know such as my brothers and neighbors were injured and the rest were arrested. To think that all this could have been avoided; prevented. To think that if the government just followed their own laws all these people would be alive and okay. The Puerto Rican Police are still tallying the number of deaths today, yet I fear that we will never know or truly understand how many Puerto Rican lives were taken yesterday afternoon.
The headline this morning’s newspaper though is what surprises me the most. After all that I have witnessed and what I have been told, the police of Puerto Rico are blaming all this turmoil on the nationalists. I know for a fact that the nationalists did everything correct… they even went above and beyond, like a said earlier, by acquiring an unneeded permit. Who wishes to live in a nation that looks right pasts your rights states in the constitution? I certainly do not!
It amazes me how in one day, your nation can flip itself over and turn to total destruction. Now, Puerto Rico must understand that parades now may be watched in fear or not watched at all since the Puerto Rican government officials cannot be trusted. I am ashamed to tell the story of what happened today in my wonderful city, yet I tell it as it is since the truth is always better to tell.
Isabella Marizana
While it is only a day after the massacre, I feel as though I must write down these words before I forget the story. The Ponce Massacre, as it has been called, has been one of the most horrific disasters Puerto Rico has ever faced. All the deaths and injuries caused because of a mere misunderstanding and poor lawful leading; who ever thought that the Puerto Rican police would open fire on a crowd of nationalists. It is not their constitutional right that they can protest? Does it not state that they have the right to rally and protest?
Now, starting at the beginning… From what the newspapers have released and from what my neighbors have told me, the Partido Nacionalista had decided that they were to organize a march to protest the unfair jailing of their leaders. It is not as though they were doing it to cause trouble or death; they merely were trying to free their leaders from jail. This act is not uncommon here in this nation so this was supposed to be a peaceful march. The Nationalists had made announcements in the newspapers for a week to their fellow nationalists informing them about the march: dates and times as to where it was going to be held. The Nationalists even had requested a permit that enabled them to march.
That’s when everything got bloody. The Puerto Rican police did not want the nationalists to be marching and drawing support from others so they withdrew the permit that the nationalists had received from Governor Diego hoping that they would just go home. That, however, is not how the actual march ended though… it ended as the nationalists went against the police using their rights to march and protest and the police began to fire at the crowd.
At two pm yesterday I heard the screaming and shots and I cannot get these memories out of my mind no matter how hard I try. Whenever I close my eyes I can imagine the blood spill and the danger that everybody on the streets of Ponce we in. The reality is, I cannot believe that the nation that I live under so proudly, would shoot at innocent civilians in order to keep a few people of little importance in prison. The police caused all the trouble and killed eight people instantly. They were friends, family, nationalists of all the Puerto Ricans. Our brother, our neighbors… all these people were innocent in an act caused by our national leaders. Many others I know such as my brothers and neighbors were injured and the rest were arrested. To think that all this could have been avoided; prevented. To think that if the government just followed their own laws all these people would be alive and okay. The Puerto Rican Police are still tallying the number of deaths today, yet I fear that we will never know or truly understand how many Puerto Rican lives were taken yesterday afternoon.
The headline this morning’s newspaper though is what surprises me the most. After all that I have witnessed and what I have been told, the police of Puerto Rico are blaming all this turmoil on the nationalists. I know for a fact that the nationalists did everything correct… they even went above and beyond, like a said earlier, by acquiring an unneeded permit. Who wishes to live in a nation that looks right pasts your rights states in the constitution? I certainly do not!
It amazes me how in one day, your nation can flip itself over and turn to total destruction. Now, Puerto Rico must understand that parades now may be watched in fear or not watched at all since the Puerto Rican government officials cannot be trusted. I am ashamed to tell the story of what happened today in my wonderful city, yet I tell it as it is since the truth is always better to tell.
Isabella Marizana
(Picture Citation: http://www.prdream.com/patria/timelines/img/ponmass39.jpg)
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