‘The beaches belong to the people’: inside Puerto Rico’s anti-gentrification protests

Locals and climate activists battle against coastal development and privatization of public beaches as luxury condos proliferate

Climate activists in Rincon, Puerto Rico, celebrated the Fourth of July by demolishing part of a construction at the beach that has been the symbol of resistance against coastal development on the island.

Wearing swimsuits and holding tight to their sledgehammers, hundreds of people flocked to Los Almendros beach in early July to take apart a structure that would have been an infinity pool just a few yards away from the coast. The protests against the structure, which a condominium started building last year, continues to grow and activists are still expressing their concern over the construction's effect on the area.