Massive protests planned at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago to mark Hurricane Maria anniversary

A major protest is reportedly scheduled to take place on Sept. 22 at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to mark the anniversary of Hurricane Maria.

According to CBS News, the Latino Victory Project (LVP) and Power 4 Puerto Rico (P4P) are launching a seven-figure campaign to register displaced Puerto Rican voters ahead of the November midterm elections. They are also organizing major demonstrations at the president’s Florida estate and at Trump Tower in New York as part of the initiative.

{mosads}After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico last year, the Trump administration faced immense criticism for its handling of recovery efforts on the island as well as the accounting of the deaths, though the president himself and administration officials have defended their actions.

Last week, the Puerto Rican government acknowledged that more than 1,400 people likely died on the island due to Hurricane Maria, roughly 20 times the previous official estimate. 

LVP, a liberal group that helps support Latino Democratic political candidates, is reportedly planning to devote at least $1.5 million to mobilize displaced Puerto Ricans residing in Florida and in other states. 

Luis Miranda, chairman of the LVP board, said in a statement to the news outlet that the “gross negligence” of the Trump administration’s response to hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico last year “must never be repeated.”

“By raising awareness of the crisis and empowering our community we can begin to repair the damage that has been done to my beloved Puerto Rico,” he continued. 

Melissa Mark-Viverito, director of P4P, which has worked to bring more awareness to the island’s slow recovery after last year’s hurricanes, told the publication that the protest at the president’s Florida estate and the march on Trump Tower are all part of her efforts to bring more attention to the island’s ongoing recovery. 

“We have a fiscal crisis that exists compounded by the emergency of the hurricane,” she told the outlet.

“People don’t have jobs to go back to, people don’t have homes that have been rebuilt properly and there are families that continue to be displaced because of medical issues,” Mark-Viverito continued. “Events leading up to the one-year anniversary are really going to highlight the reality that Puerto Rico is living.”

Mark-Viverito said her group also plans to have activists based in Washington, D.C., meet with lawmakers in efforts to increase federal assistance to her native island.