Conflict Continues in Río Piedras
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Though Tuesday’s march proceeded without notable conflict between UPR students and the Puerto Rican police, it precipitated an immediate response from university administrators and government officials, who acted in concert to provide police forces with greater jurisdiction in quelling campus unrest (1). By Wednesday afternoon, ten students had been arrested and removed from campus. The detained had allegedly disrupted classes while distributing flyers that contained information about the strike (2). All ten students were transported to the Hato Rey station but later released without charges.
A peaceful gathering in the University Plaza on Thursday morning culminated in a minor skirmish between police forces and student protestors. The students resisted the polices’ efforts to force them out of the building, but, after being shot with tear gas and pepper spray, the students receded into Ponce de Leon Avenue (3).
A few hours later, the students regrouped inside the campus. As police forces began gathering nearby, th
