Esencia No Va: Seguimos Aquí en las Calles de Puerto Rico
Yesterday wasn’t just a protest. It was a reminder of how many people are still showing up, still organizing, and still fighting for Puerto Rico, its natural resources, and its communities.
The People You Meet Along the Way
Yesterday was filled with moments like finally meeting people I’ve followed for years online, reconnecting with others who have been fighting for Puerto Rico for most of their lives, and being reminded that community still matters.
Different paths. Same direction.
A day filled with presence, purpose, and community.
Community Feels Different When You’re There
That sense of community is not something you fully understand through a screen. You feel it when you are in the heat, in the crowd, in conversation, and surrounded by people choosing to show up.
Esencia No Va is not just a slogan. It is a response to a much bigger pattern of displacement, privatization, and exclusion.
This Didn’t Start Yesterday
For me, this connects back to earlier efforts like Playas Pal Pueblo in Isla Verde, where I met people like Mariposa and Luis López and began to understand the patience it takes to defend public resources over the long term.
Small Moments That Say Everything
While marching from Escambrón to La Fortaleza, I ran into Waldo, who I first met during Ricky Renuncia. At one point he stepped away to get something to drink and came back with water for me.
For many that may not seem like much. For me, it meant everything.
Telling Our Own Stories
I do not consider myself the expert, so I wanted to make space for voices from people who have been doing the work, organizing, documenting, and helping others understand what is really at stake.
In the video connected to this post, both Gabo Ramos and Debbie Pérez of Borikén Podcast help explain why so many people are saying Esencia No Va.
What they shared made one thing clear: this conversation is not just about one development project. It is about Puerto Rico’s beaches, water access, natural resources, community stability, and who gets to shape the future of the island.
Gabo Ramos on Organizing Beyond Social Media
Gabo Ramos has been one of the voices helping push public attention toward the concerns surrounding Esencia and the broader fight to protect Puerto Rico’s land, resources, and people.
Gabo made it clear that awareness alone is not enough. Posting, sharing, and discussing these issues online matters, but it cannot replace the work of people physically coming together, building community, and showing up in public to defend what belongs to all of us.
His message was direct: real organizing still requires people to leave their homes, meet one another, and take part in the work on the ground.
Debbie Pérez of Borikén Podcast on What Is Really at Stake
Debbie Pérez, creator of Borikén Podcast, has spent years helping connect people on and off the island to the social, political, and historical realities shaping Puerto Rico.
In our conversation, Debbie explained that this is not just a hotel project, even if that is how some people may first hear it described. The proposed Esencia development has raised concerns because of its potential impact on water access, community displacement, and the destruction of natural resources.
What may sound small on the surface can become something much bigger once you look at the scale, the precedent it sets, and who is expected to carry the consequences
Why Our Voices Matter
That is why voices like Debbie’s and Gabo’s matter so much.
They help put context around what many people are feeling. They remind us that Esencia No Va is not just a slogan. It is a response to real fears around privatization, exclusion, environmental harm, and the continued loss of access to the spaces and resources that should remain public.
Their perspectives also reinforce something that was visible all day in San Juan:
Presence matters. Showing up matters.
Why “Esencia No Va” Matters
This is not just about one project. It is about a pattern. Rising costs, displacement, shrinking access, and the normalization of spaces becoming unavailable to the very people who have always belonged there.
In Puerto Rico, our beaches are public. That should mean something.
Seguimos Aquí
Puerto Ricans are still here because we keep showing up. In a place where life has become harder, people are still willing to stand in the heat, spend their own money, and protect what should never have to be fought for in the first place.
See the march, hear the voices, and experience the day
I also created a video from this effort featuring audio and interviews from people directly involved, including Gabo Ramos and Debbie Pérez from Borikén Podcast.
You can view the photos I took throughout this post, and either click the video above or scroll back up to watch the full video and hear directly from those leading the effort.
Moments From the Esencia No Va March
Scenes from a day where thousands showed up to defend Puerto Rico’s beaches, water, and communities.
