Estadistas Grow Balls
Luis Orlando Gallardo Rivera
July 27, 2001

Recently I have noticed a radical change sweeping throughout Puerto Rico that most likely will be altering the rules of our political games. We have experienced a sudden sway in the way we do our politics, and even though it is happening quite quickly, not too many people are perceptive of it. Within the last month or two, it appears that the pro-statehood sector of our population has grown 'cojones'. For as long as I could remember the anti-statehood 'independentistas' and 'populares' were gobbling every free minute of the nightly news with their numerous protests and civil disobedience. While anti-statehooders beat up military recruiters, made bomb threats, and defaced federal property, pro-statehood 'estadistas' sat on their hands at home talking trash about their political opponents.

The way we've done politics plays a big role in our cultural identity and has gone pretty much unchanged for as long as we have been given the right to vote. While independentistas and populares seemed to be everywhere at the same time, many of my estadista elders excused their absence from the media's eye with the fact that the power of the vote was all they needed to match that noise - for a while that proved true. It wasn't until the Vieques situation developed that the estadistas appeared to never have existed. With local and international religious, political, and environmentalist leaders supporting the Navy's withdrawal from Puerto Rico, the global community began viewing us as a chained oppressed colony being crushed by the United States militarization and imperialism. Oh no!? What are the estadistas to do? Their chances to secure statehood became more miniscule by the day.

For weeks I saw my estadista grandmother carry herself with a sad face. "You independentistas are going to get your way - within the next few years we will be an independent republic" my disappointed grandfather told me one night after the evening news. On WAPA radio, a Puerto Rican radio station owned and operated by statehooders, the estadistas' disappointment was being expressed nightly through the talk lines. Disgruntled estadistas called in talking about how they were moving to the states later that week and crying statehooders sobbed about how we won't become the U.S.'s 51st. The pro-statehood New Progressive Party hit a speed bump.

For a good amount of time I carried myself with confidence until I sat down one evening to check out one of local newspaper's web sites - a few brave statehooders hoisted a U.S. flag in front of a little church built and ran by independentistas, where Navy opponents were allowed to worship and pray for Vieques. Within minutes hoards of statehood supports gathered around the church waving U.S. flags and chanting pro-American slogans. It didn't take too long for a massive crowd of anti-statehooders to develop along side the ruckus. Insults, police barricades, roadblocks, and bottle fights broke out within moment. The next day statehood supporters were hoisting U.S. flags on lampposts all over the island. I was stunned in puzzlement to where this boost of testosterone came from on the estadista 's behalf.

Two days ago, estadistas set up tents next to a federal prison in Guaynabo where independentistas have been camping at it's entrance in a handful of sleeping bags and tents since the arrest of a handful protestors because of their anti-Navy civil disobedience. Pro-U.S. activists raised a U.S. flag and blasted pro-statehood slogans from loud speakers in an act of defiance. Fights broke out (of course) and police officers had to construct a barricade between the two groups to prevent further outbreaks.

That same day, former pro-statehood governor Carlos Romero Barceló arrived in Vieques to campaign in support of the Navy's stay in an upcoming referendum. While he and a number of pro-statehood officials caravanned through the Vieques streets, he was welcomed by a hoard of anti-Navy protestors waving flags and signs while tossing rocks and eggs. While Romero and a his aids waved and blew kisses, protestors called him "assassin" and waved signs that recalled a police slaughter that left a number of independentista activists dead during his term as governor. Later that night, two groups conflicting over Romero's presence clashed, causing rocks to be thrown. Throughout the day people were both arrested and hospitalized.

We've seen within the last few weeks an increase of courage on behalf of statehood supporters. Months ago, the idea of a pro-statehood and pro-Navy official, especially former governor Romero Barceló, was unimaginable. The same people who told me that the only noise they needed to make was through votes, were now saying that they were "standing up and fighting" for what they believe in. Independentista nationalists were once considered the only 'radical' and 'extremist' sect of our politics' line up. Well it appears that things have changed, for we are seeing a rise in the hostility and motivation of statehooder activists. Those calls from disappointed estadistas are now being replaced by threats towards "the evil communist" independentistas and "separatist" populares. Veteran estadista "fanaticos" call into their radio station talking about how they would not hesitate to take arms against independentistas if such a conflict arose.

I believe there are two core reasons why estadistas have all of a sudden changed their attitudes and protest methods: first of all, estadistas feel threatened. Throughout their history, these last few months have appeared to be their most difficult. Not only did they drastically lose our 2000 commonwealth elections, but also the Vieques and independentista movements were muffling their goals and visions to the international community. Next to taking arms and waging physical war against their counterparts, this seems to be their 'last chance' to pump some life into the statehood movement.

Secondly, it appears that the estadistas are looking for a confrontation. I am not saying that this is the goal of their collective party, for many statehooders might be 'riding the hype', but I believe that there are statehooders, especially high-ranking officials, who see the advantage that they would gain in a confrontation. "Why?", you might ask - well, when provocative statehooders pop up next to independentista marches, conflict arises, rocks are thrown, and the cameras start to roll. Whenever a separatist is seen on the nightly news throwing a rock, it only proves the pro-statehood claim that "these communists cause violence, therefore an independent Puerto Rico would be plagued with guerrilla war and hostility". Violent confrontation, caused by these provocations, further stains the already bad image of independence, thus polishing that of the statehood movement.

By examining these events that are occurring in a Puerto Rico equipped with colonial status, you can pretty much guarantee that more intensively violent conflicts would occur if statehood status were ever achieved. I use to believe that if Puerto Rico won independence, not only would the independentistas tone down their ruckus, but the statehooders would curl up into a corner and wither away. Doing that to the statehood movement doesn't seem too easy nowadays. With their newly projected attitude, it appears that the estadistas don't plan to go down without a fight. Estadistas use to speak of the "communist revolution" that would occur in an independent Puerto Rico - now I just laugh at the concept. I think that any such threat, if there ever has been any, has just been replaced by a more pungent "statehood rebellion".

Resources:
Gonzalez, Clarisel, Statehood supporters set up anti-separatist camp in front of Guaynabo prison from The San Juan Star, July 26, 2001

Romero Welcomed to Vieques with Insults, Rocks from The San Juan Star, July 26, 2001

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