![]() As they celebrate their victory in the face of privatization and gentrification, the end of “El Apagón” plays again. The documentary ends with footage of activists demolishing the pool themselves earlier this year. (A court eventually ruled that the development violated the law.) In Rincón, a condominium began building a private pool right next to the beach last year, which sparked protests and a legal battle. By law, Puerto Rican beaches are public property, but developers have increasingly attempted to privatize them. In its last seven minutes, “Aquí Vive Gente” turns its attention to the privatization of Puerto Rican beaches and protests against it. ![]() These personal stories of gentrification and displacement are then situated in their larger context: Incentivized by major tax breaks available to new residents, individuals and companies have been coming to Puerto Rico, buying up real estate and raising rents. “If they remove us, Puerta de Tierra will die.” “Public housing projects are the heart of Puerta de Tierra,” he says. Jorge Luis González, a longtime resident of public housing neighborhood Puerta de Tierra, has seen schools close and neighbors kicked out. Laura Mía González was a victim of the same series of events. The documentary tells numerous personal stories: Hernández, the viewer learns, has lived in her apartment building for 26 years, but she received a 30-day vacate notice when her building was purchased by a new owner and rent skyrocketed. “They’re displacing native Puerto Ricans,” says Hernández. She begins her report in the home of a woman named Maricusa Hernández, who is sitting at a table with two other Puerto Ricans and discussing gentrification. ![]() Graulau, an independent Puerto Rican journalist who has amassed a following on social media for her independent reporting on her island’s socioeconomic and political issues, takes over again for the documentary portion of the video, which is called “Aquí Vive Gente” (“People Live Here”). Joyful footage of Puerto Ricans dancing at a Bad Bunny concert runs for the rest of the song. About one minute in, the music is abruptly interrupted with a brief report by freelance journalist Bianca Graulau on Puerto Rico’s recurring blackouts, which, she explains, have worsened since the power grid was placed in the private hands of Luma Energy. ![]() In the video, “El Apagón,” a song already political in its own right, is paired with breathtaking drone footage of Puerto Rico’s beaches and clips of residents dancing in the streets. As of this writing, the video has over six million views, which is perhaps unsurprising for the global sensation whose latest album just spent its 11th week at the top of the Billboard 200. “I hope people in PR can watch my video before the lights go out,” Bad Bunny posted to his Instagram story on Friday. ![]()
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