Huff Post — The Battle Over The Last Piece Of Puerto Rico That Wasn’t For Sale
People observe the sunset at Los Almendros beach in Rincón, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 2. ERIKA P. RODRIGUEZ FOR HUFFPOST
Oct 14, 2022
By Alexander C. Kaufman and Hermes Ayala Guzmán — Beaches are supposed to be open to all. But as privatization sweeps the debt-smothered territory, treasured shorelines face new threats.
RINCON, Puerto Rico — To the west, a giant flaming peach of a sun sank into the horizon. Warm Caribbean waves lapped on the soft sandy shoreline where pregnant turtles drag themselves from the water each season to lay their eggs among mangroves and coconut palms.
To the east, cloistered behind a garrison of plastic orange barricades, dozens of heavily armed police officers paced and revved motorcycle engines, standing guard over gray concrete and construction materials.
Between the two, on a stretch of Los Almendros beach this August evening, is a small village of tents flying the black Puerto Rican flag of resistance.
“This is a war zone,” Miriam Juan Rivera said, shooting a steely glare at the police.
What began this spring as a local protest over the construction of a private pool on a public beach where endangered reptiles nest had, by the end of summer, evolved into a symbolic battle over the future of this island’s treasured waterfronts.
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