The highway, Expreso Las Américas, teemed with people who carried Puerto Rican flags, waved protest signs and chanted to demand the removal of Rosselló, who said Sunday he would not seek reelection in 2020 but would stay in office through his current term — and face possible impeachment.
Monday’s protest paralyzed San Juan, although it was not clear if organizers had reached their goal of drawing 1 million people — about a third of the island’s population — to the highway.
As the crowd on the highway thinned in the afternoon, people once again packed the street in front of the governor’s mansion, amassing in front of the same barricade where they have gathered for more than a week.
Protests against Rosselló began more than a week ago, after the publication of 889 pages of a leaked group chat between the governor and his closest aides. Besides being offensive, the messages revealed a cozy relationship between the governor and former staff members who now represent special interests.
The crude messages were the final straw for Puerto Ricans. Grievances have been building up over 12 years of economic recession, a debt crisis and the botched response to Hurricane Maria.
Perhaps in an attempt to speak directly to President Donald Trump, the governor appeared on Fox News on Monday afternoon, where anchor Shepard Smith pressed him on his lost support: “You’re a man on an island by yourself. How long can you stay there?”
“My commitment is to follow through on some of the efforts that I established for the people of Puerto Rico,” Rosselló said.
Before Monday’s march, the biggest shopping mall in San Juan announced it would not open for the day. Some banks also were closed, and university classes were canceled. And cruise ships were again diverted from calling at the port Monday.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.