Puerto Rico Governor Says Cop Should Be Fired After Woman Harassed in Viral Video

The Governor of Puerto Rico responded to a viral video of a woman being harassed for wearing a Puerto Rican flag shirt Monday. The incident, which appears to have taken place in Cook County, Ill., was filmed last month as a Facebook live video by Mia Irizarry, who was wearing the Puerto Rican flag shirt. In the video, an older, unidentified white man, is seen provoking Irizarry and aggressively asking why she is wearing a Puerto Rican flag shirt in America. "You should not be wearing that," he is heard saying as he repeatedly confronts her. In the video, Irizarry replies that she is wearing the shirt "because I can," and tells him that the U.S. owns Puerto Rico. In an agitated tone the man says, "We don't own Puerto Rico. Are you educated?" Though the video was filmed on June 14, it was shared by NowThis News on Monday. Gov. Ricardo Rossello tweeted about the incident, calling it an "undignified event in which a Puerto Rican woman was brutally harassed by a bigot while an officer did not interfere." Today a video surfaced of an undignified event in which a Puerto Rican woman was brutally harassed by a bigot while an officer did not interfere. I am appalled, shocked & disturbed by the officer's behavior https://t.co/F9L4ewt1Ac @DavidBegnaud @ACLU — Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) July 10, 2018 The man's behavior towards Irizarry appears to have been witnessed by a nearby police officer, who does not appear to stop the man from continuing to verbally harass her, despite her requests for help. Irizarry is standing in a picnic area, which she tells the officer she has a permit for to attend a birthday party. Gov. Rossello wrote on Twitter that he is "appalled, shocked & disturbed by the officer's behavior…We will be looking into this incident as our offices in DC are in contact with local and state authorities, demanding that this officer be expelled from the police force." Rosello said the officer failed to ensure Irizarry safety. "This is not the America we all believe in," he tweeted. The video has been viewed more than 1.2 million on Irizarry's Facebook page, and more than 7 million times on the NowThisPolitics Facebook page. via TIME