Michelle Hernandez has resigned as Puerto Rico’s Chief of Police. Her officers have been calling in sick to protest the department’s inability to pay overtime. In addition, there have been 23 murders on the island compared to nine over the same time period last year. Just four days ago the police department discovered a triple homicide.

It has been 113 days since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and uprooted the lives of 3.4 American citizens. Food, water, and medical supplies remain scarce, and only 55 percent of the island’s residents have electrical power.

The media and Trump’s Republican Party have ignored Americans who are desperate for assistance. Is it a possibility that unlike Texas and Florida, Puerto Rico’s population is predominately Hispanic, and this is the reason? Or could it be the fact that Texas and Florida are red states, and offering timely assistance is the same as buying votes for the November election? The citizens of Puerto Rico cannot vote in our elections.

Since Trump’s embarrassing display of tossing paper towels to the people present at his sad visit, little has been accomplished, and the number of deaths related to the hurricane has increased ten-fold.

It feels like the media and Republicans have forgotten about the suffering which continues on the island. Residents have reported that it appears that FEMA is ‘overwhelmed’ with the enormity of the task of repairing such extensive damage.

Call your representatives in Washington and ask them why they have forgotten about Puerto Rico.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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