Grassroots Effort Pushes Boycott Of Puerto Rican Rum Giant

SAN JUAN, PR – The National Puerto Rican Coalition will spearhead a new six-state Coalition to Stop Diageo Now, leaders of the effort announced at a meeting in San Juan.

"With organizational structures in place in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, we are now positioned to launch a grass-roots effort to educate voters about Captain Morgan Rum’s $2.7 million raid on poor people in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and let them know which candidates will end the practice,” said NPRC Chairman Miguel Lausell.

“The ‘Stop Diageo Now’ Coalition will send the message that money intended for America’s poorest citizens should not be diverted instead to the bottom line of British corporations,” added NPRC President Rafael Fantauzzi.

“We will urge consumers to stop consuming Diageo’s products until Congress enacts sensible legislation to ensure that tax dollars intended for helping poor people are not diverted to international conglomerates,” added Lausell.

The Coalition will educate the public about how Diageo, PLC, a London-based liquor conglomerate, has managed to siphon fully half of the money Congress intended to be used to meet the social needs of both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The subsidies, in the form of relocation incentives to encourage Diageo to move its Captain Morgan distillery from Puerto Rico to St. Croix, represent 50 percent of all revenues that will be received by the Virgin Islands as a result of the company’s relocation. Legislation pending in Congress would set a 10% limit on the portion of excise tax rebates any rum producer could receive in subsidies.

Besides Captain Morgan, Diageo manufactures Bailey’s Irish Cream, Guinness, J&B scotch, Johnny Walker, Jose Cuervo tequila and Smirnoff vodka, among others.

The charter members of the Stop Diageo Now Coalition announced today include:

r Hartford Puerto Rican Parade (CT)

r Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of South Florida (FL)

r Puerto Rican Chamber of Florida Sarasota (FL)

r US Hispanic Leadership Institute (IL)

r National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc. (NY)

r Puerto Rican Family Institute, Inc. (NY)

r Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Day Parade Foundation (NY)

r Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc, (Camden, NJ/PA)

r Desfile de la Hispanidad, Inc. (Trenton, NJ)

r Comité Patriótico Cultural Puertorriqueño (NJ)

r Desfile Estatal Puertorriqueño de New Jersey (NJ)

CONTACT:
CONTACT: ANABEL EVORA
TEL.: (917) 513-0580
EMAIL: ANABEL.EVORA@HOTMAIL.COM

The mission of the National Puerto Rican Coalition is to enhance the social, political, and economic well-being of all Puerto Ricans on the mainland and the Island with a special focus on the most vulnerable.