don't forget -- tomorrow, the columbus day parade. thanks for watching. i'm bill ritter. for all of us here, enjoy the rest of your weekend. [ latin music plays ] buenos d^as y bienvenidos. good morning. welcome once again to "tiempo." i'm joe torres. "mi america" is a movie about a hispanic-american detective assigned to investigate the kidnapping and disappearance of five hispanic migrant workers. the movie was filmed in our area. we will talk to the lead actors, the writer, the director in just a few minutes, and we will tell you where and when you can see the movie. right now, however, we're talking about puerto rico once again. why? because the new york city council passed several resolutions that call on

congress to allow puerto rico to get the financial help that it desperately needs. currently, the commonwealth is struggling with a $72 billion debt, a debt the governor says puerto rico cannot pay. here to discuss these resolutions and what they can do -- the sponsor of two of the bills, bronx councilmember and our good friend ritchie torres -- no relation. next to him, we asked author nelson denis to come back to "tiempo." his book, "war against all puerto ricans," is on store shelves now, provides great historical perspective, by the way, on the issues facing puerto rico on the island right now. and it's in english, and it'll be out in spanish, right, starting next month. good to see you, my friend. todo bien? >> good to be here. >> yeah, good to have you. tell me about the resolutions, the bills that you sponsored specifically in relation to puerto rico, and helping it move out of this financial debt that it's in. >> so, as you know, puerto rico's facing over $70 billion in debt. >> big time. >> and our position on the city council is that the federal government has been part of the problem.

it's time for the government to be part of the solution, so we're calling for three changes in federal law. >> and what are they? >> first, congress to amend the bankruptcy code to extend bankruptcy protections to puerto rico so that the government can declare bankruptcy and restructure its debt through an orderly process. >> yes, as a commonwealth, they can't do that. >> and the second is to require the federal government to treat puerto rico as it would a state, with respect to healthcare programs, particularly medicaid and medicaid reimbursements. >> get more specific. it's being shortchanged, right? >> it has been deprived of federal funding, so the federal reimbursements for medicaid and medicare are dramatically lower in puerto rico than it is in the mainland islands. >> yes, and if my numbers are correct -- what is it? -- 60% of... >> for medicaid, it is 70%. for medicaid advantage, it is 60%. and for medicare, it's 40%. >> mm-hmm, and they go through that money quickly with so many people. >> and healthcare is contributing disproportionately to the financial crisis. >> mm-hmm. you're not so convinced, nelson -- are you? -- that bankruptcy might be the way out of this hole. are you not? >> it would if it were a

viable -- >> if it were reality, yes. >> and this is really important. it's important to have that symbolic and that moral push from our elected officials. the problem is that the american economy is $17 trillion. that's our gross national product. the municipal-bond industry is $3.6 trillion per year, which is 21%. so 21% of our economy is being filtered through this municipal-bond debt. it is too large -- it's too large of an elephant in the room to be upset, so obama is not gonna upset the municipal-bond structure. it's too much a part of our economy. that's from obama. congress isn't gonna do it because the hedge-funders have invested over $200,000 in lobbying them to keep it bottled up in committee. h.r.870 was introduced in february 11th by pierluisi, took six weeks for it to be even assigned to a committee, and then it's been bottled up. so it's not gonna happen, but we need to push for it because

there is a very big urgency when the cash reserves run out in december. >> yeah, i'm gonna get to that in a second, to talk about the looming deadlines that lie ahead in december and then in january. but i wanted to ask you, ritchie, the resolutions, granted they come from city council, but this is a federal government decision. >> yes. >> what do you hope it does? i mean, i'm sure the federal government might be looking at it and saying, "city council in new york -- that's great. they can pass all the resolutions they want. it has no impact on what we're gonna do." >> look, there is a value to raising consciousness about the mistreatment of puerto rico at the hands of the federal government. federal policy has been treating the residents of puerto rico as second-class citizens, and puerto rico's second-class status is at the heart of the financial crisis. i mean, puerto rico faces higher energy cost, higher healthcare cost, greater barriers to practicing medicine, to restructuring its debt, all because of federal policy. and that has to change. we have a moral obligation here. >> have you chatted with or had a chance to talk to nydia velazquez, the congresswoman who's also pushing for similar legislation on a congressional level? >> no, i know she's deeply

committed to effecting change at the federal level, and we want to provide her with all the support we can at the local level. >> in what you're doing, at least from the vantage point of pressure, falls in line with what the governor did about a month or two ago when he went -- and we went along with him to puerto rico -- and he said, "more than anything, it's a voice. puerto rico doesn't have a voice. they don't have a vote in congress, and therefore they can't apply the pressure." >> there's a certain irony in how the united states treats puerto rico. the american revolution was founded on the principe of no taxation without representation, and here you have the united states government taxing the residents of puerto rico without fairly and fully representing their interests in the application of federal law, and that's particularly true in the case of medicaid reimbursements. >> we're gonna take a break. when we come back, nelson, i want you to illustrate some of the deadlines, particularly what's happening in december and january, which mean decision time is coming real soon. we'll talk about that when we come back here on "tiempo" -- more on the fiscal realities facing puerto rico. still ahead on "tiempo," "mi america" -- it's a movie about a horrific hate crime

against five hispanic day laborers and a latino detective handling the investigation. we'll talk to the people behind the film -- which, by the way,

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>> welcome back to "tiempo." new york city councilman ritchie torres of the bronx joins us this morning to talk about the recently passed resolutions in the city council, designed to help puerto rico out of a huge financial hole. and we welcome back, once again, nelson denis, author of the book "war against all puerto ricans." great historical perspective there. let me start with you because there are some major deadlines facing the island in the next two months or so. walk me through those and why they're so crucial. >> there's four specific programmatic solutions, as well, and i want to touch on those. >> we'll get to that, but lay the foundation of what's gonna happen in december. >> in december, the gdb, the government development bank -- fomento -- runs out of cash reserves -- essentially insolvent. december.

puerto rico owes a $945 million bond payment -- nearly $1 billion. without anything on the table, what's being geared up here is the governor is looking to do what's called "p3." it's public-private partnerships, which are basically turning the public infrastructure of puerto rico into cash-generating, revenue-generating machinery for the hedge funds. i'm talking water, electricity, highways, airport concessions -- anything that is a gener-- an example -- the george washington bridge generates nearly $1.5 billion a year. we need to avoid that. those are 35-year leases that are basically selling off pieces of puerto rico. so very quickly 'cause we need to discuss other -- there's four -- in addition to the symbolic element of saying, "we need a bankruptcy protection," which unfortunately is not likely to happen, jones act reform is something very real, very serious. it would eliminate a 15% to 20% markup on all corporate products

in puerto rico, and it would bring 50,000 jobs out of jacksonville into puerto rico. second, the repatriation of corporate profits into puerto rico -- the companies that are doing business in puerto rico should have a stipulated proportion of profits back into puerto rico. third, puerto rico should be allowed to engage in its own international trade relations, and that's concomitant with its own developing sovereignty. and, fourth -- to remove the plenary jurisdiction of the u.s. congress over every law that's passed in puerto rico because puerto rico, concomitant with its independence, is that it needs to be able to pass its own laws. >> i see you shaking your head yes. >> i agree with the fourth point. so not only is the united states government failing to provide support to puerto rico, but it's actually preventing puerto rico from supporting itself. puerto rico attempted to pass its own bankruptcy laws to regulate the restructuring of debt, and it was declared preempted by federal law. so puerto rico's hands are tied at the hands of the federal government, so i completely agree with those solutions. >> you're not so happy with the other four. i mean -- >> oh, i'm supportive, yeah. >> yes, i mean, i think it's a dangerous road --

>> particularly the jones act, which raises the cost of shipping, and that affects everyone. it raises the cost of operating a business, it raises the cost of living for everyday puerto ricans, so it's a serious problem. >> but i would have a fear out of selling tangible assets in puerto rico as a form of generating revenue. what do i know? but it doesn't sound like a good approach to me. >> it's not my place to -- i'm gonna comment on the actions of congress. >> yeah, and you don't like that either because -- >> the macquarie corporation is now the consultant, the p3 consultant for the entire island of puerto rico. they've done equity flips and strategic bankruptcies in three continents. they are the designated auctioneer for puerto rico right now. that has to be stopped immediately because, you know what? in two or three months, everything that we're discussing here becomes a moot point. so there should be -- you know, in terms of immediate action, the resolution is great, but here's what we can do -- a march on washington a week before the florida primary -- in march 6th, a march on washington -- a march on jacksonville to illustrate the jones act, working with naleo, getting naleo involved so that all of them are pressuring

all their congressional representatives in all 50 states. >> and speaking about it, i think we should remind the public that this is a civil rights issue. >> mm-hmm. >> the residents of puerto rico are american citizens, are entitled to equal protection of the law, and equal protection should mean equal access to bankruptcy protection, equal access to healthcare reimbursements, equal access to all the rights and protections granted everyone else. >> i want to get your thoughts on this because this in one way disturbed me a little bit. the hispanic federation -- wonderful organization. they've been here on "tiempo" many times before. they have a resolution that they would like to present to president obama with 100,000 signatures that says many of the things that you're pushing for now. the resolution expires to get the signatures on october 12th, so it's a day away. my last check, they only had 3,500 signatures. they still needed 96,000 signatures. does that illustrate to you that perhaps people aren't taking this as seriously as they should?

from as many times as we've done it here on "tiempo," you should be able to get 100,000 signatures no problem. >> so, ritchie, go ahead. >> i mean, i feel the latino establishment, particularly puerto rican electorates, are deeply mobilized to act, and i know it's an issue of concern to the speaker, to the borough president of the bronx, to many of my colleagues, so... >> 35,000 signatures is 35,000 signatures. >> 3,500. >> and, two, we need to be more disruptive than that. petitions won't make it. obama's hands are tied anyway. we just discussed that he's not gonna upset the municipal-bond structure. there has to be job actions. the unions in puerto rico, they need to start getting to work. they need to start becoming very visible and very vocal because they're losing their jobs, and we need to have, if anything, civil disruption if necessary, including very widespread marches on washington and jacksonville. >> we've got about 30 seconds left. those marches -- now's the time in the political-election year -- correct? - to try and extract from, potentially, a new president some promises that would put puerto rico on the

right path. >> there's also, in addition to civil disobedience, litigation is an option. i do believe u.s. policy is unconstitutional under the equal protection clause. >> we may move forward towards that. gentlemen, un placer. thank you guys, and it's good to see you. nelson, good to see you again. ritchie, my cousin -- not really -- good to see you, as well. >> i wish. >> yes. coming up next on "tiempo," "mi america" -- it's a movie about a dreadful crime against five immigrants and the latino detective who investigates them. we talk to the lead actors in just a few minutes. also ahead on "tiempo" -- it's a busy one -- we're in the middle of hispanic heritage month, and we put a spotlight on a local bookstore in manhattan that offers all kinds of books by and

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we're talking generations of healthy, brooklyn "angels." emblemhealth: what care feels like...in the neighborhood. >> as the immigration debate takes center stage in the race for president, a new film called "mi america" offers an on-the-ground look at the

reality of this conflict. "mi america" is inspired by hate crimes against latino immigrants. the movie opens in theaters in just a few days. the film, made entirely in newburgh, new york -- not far from us -- it's about a dreadful crime against five migrant day laborers. here with us this morning -- robert fontaine, the director, the lead actor, the writer, the producer of the movie, and michael brainard, who also stars in the movie, as well. thank you all for joining us. >> thank you. >> what inspired the movie, for you to put it from thought to paper? >> it was actually my wife, who is also a journalist, and she covers mostly economy, but she had brought my attention to this issue and just all the stories that were popping up across the country and the stuff that wasn't reported, as well. it was coming through her under the table so... >> okay, give me the 30-second plot line without giving it all away for our viewers. >> it's about five migrant laborers that get picked up and are promised work for the day, but it ends tragically, and the detective investigating the

story happens to be a resident of this community who also experienced a hate crime 20 years earlier. >> mm-hmm. >> so... >> what role do you play? >> i play the detective. >> you're the detective. >> yeah. >> can we safely say that the perspective of the detective changes as the movie marches on? >> completely. >> completely? >> yeah, completely. >> michael, good to see you, sir. >> good to see you, as well. >> people are trying to figure out where they've seen you -- "all my children" for many years, right? >> "all my children" -- i play joey martin. >> yep, so this was home around here for you. >> that's right, that's right. i recognize it all. >> what role do you play in the movie? >> i play tom anderson. >> okay. who's he? >> another guy in the movie. >> [ laughs ] good guy, bad guy? a police officer? >> without giving too much up, he's been a part of robert's character, part of his life since childhood. >> okay. >> and it develops. there's a lot of history there. >> how did you -- he found you? you found him? how did you guys come together on this project? michael, you first. >> we worked together on "santa barbara," the soap opera "santa barbara." >> there you go. >> yeah, and we've remained

friends ever since. >> ever since. did you have him in mind as you're visualizing this? >> absolutely. i've had him in mind for years. i've been developing the script for eight years, so he was -- yeah. >> so this is your baby? >> one of them, yes. [ both laugh ] >> that's the thing -- you're the father of many, aren't you? shot -- we mentioned it there -- in newburgh. >> correct. >> why newburgh? which i think is fabulous, by the way. >> it's a beautiful place. >> yeah, it is beautiful. the landscape lends itself to the story. it has a distressed economy. there's a lot of migrants that live there. >> i was just gonna say that to you, yep. >> so it was a perfect landscape, yeah. >> in fact, were you able to incorporate some of the people who live and work in the community into the film, and how'd you do that? >> well, a lot of walking the streets and holding out fliers. a lot of times, we just had to pick people off the street, and we did castings for some of the smaller roles. >> and so they're more than just extras, these guys? >> a lot of them are, yeah. they have lines here and there, yeah. >> wow. >> yeah.

>> is it? okay. what are you hoping is the message that people get from this movie as they walk out? i know it's entertainment. that's what movies are. but are you trying to educate people or open some eyes in any way, shape, or form? >> well, there's so many levels to the story. you know, for the average moviegoer, they can go and get entertained, and then there's the astute critic, who will see all the layers, that social, political side of it. basically, it's identifying where the problem is. is it social-economical? is it pure racism? it's just wanting to open up a dialogue and see how we can resolve this issue. >> mm-hmm. were there any particular challenges that you come across? and there always are, i think, when you make a movie, right? [ chuckles ] i mean, you didn't have the biggest of budgets, but you made it work. >> absolutely. absolutely. yeah, you know, it's hard to keep people focused on a project like this, you know, and it's even hard to get it out there. you know, i think hispanic-themed movies tend to

that calls attention to these problems, i think people kind of put them aside, yeah, so... >> michael, from your perspective, what sort of picture of immigration does this movie paint? >> wow. >> pretty deep. >> yeah, that's a big question. >> you can help him out if he has trouble there. but go ahead. >> well, i think, coming into this political year that we're coming into, i think it will get under the collar of some people. and that's good. that's what art is supposed to do, and i'm very happy to be a part of a project like that. >> we should mention it's based on true events or in part based on true events. how do you... >> yeah, some of it's semiautobiographical. >> okay. >> i was a victim of a hate crime growing up for being of hispanic descent, you know? the other stories that are sort of woven in there are from different articles and coverage of events that happened in the states over the past three or four years, and it's pretty deep, some of the stuff, so i've

sort of combined certain stories. >> i'm trying -- are you from new york? >> born and raised. >> okay, you know, i'm trying to think of some trouble hotspots in the form of migrant-day-laborer work. there's been issues in westchester county, on long island in particular. did you look at those areas as to examples and what to cull from there? >> sure. one of the inspiring stories was the teens that committed that horrific crime out in long island, you know -- i think there was six of them that beat down a migrant worker -- and a couple other stories that happened before there, but mostly going to the hate-crime website and also the fbi. you know, the percentages of hate crime against hispanics, specifically of amerindian descent, has grown exponentially -- almost 63% since 2003. >> and you said your wife's a journalist. i mean, she probably -- she get credit in this movie for helping you out as a researcher? >> she does, she does, yeah. >> yes, that's fantastic. it opens -- i want to say the 16th, correct? >> 16th of october. >> 16th of october. we can put it up on the screen. this friday is the 16th, and it opens up down in the village --

181st street to 189th, 2nd avenue there -- 181 to 189, 2nd avenue, in manhattan. how long is it there? it's there for at least one week, right? >> right. but if the box office shows a success, then they'll hold over, so that's what we're hoping for. >> here's your pitch, michael. go ahead. >> now it's on you. >> it's on you, everyone. >> good. >> please come and see it. >> yes, you've been here to "tiempo" to see these guys. it's gonna tell a great, great story, but, yes, hopefully you get a good turnout and then it'll be a second week. and then -- >> los angeles. >> then it goes to los angeles there, where there's a rather large hispanic community out there, as well. continued success, congratulations on this baby and the few others you have in the works. >> thank you so much. >> michael, good to see you again. >> thanks for having us. >> all right, coming up next on "tiempo" -- we're in the middle of hispanic heritage month -- the ongoing celebration of the societal contributions made by hispanics and latino-americans. today we put a spotlight on a local bookstore in manhattan that offers all kinds of book by

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no, it is not a blue house, as the name suggests, but it's named after the blue house of celebrated mexican artist frida kahlo. >> and i felt, being of mexican descent, having studied her life, having visited her home many times, i felt like it was a perfect name for the store and also because of home, "casa." everybody comes home and feels comfortable. >> her business is now three years old. it is not your ordinary bookstore. its shelves are filled with books that tell latino stories, written by latino authors, and illustrated by latino artists. >> there are so many -- hundreds of latino writers that exist. it's not just one or two that get on the new york times best seller list. there are actually many, including many that come from east harlem. >> the mexican-american former teacher says education, exposure, and empowerment are some of the benefits gained by customers who read the books sold in her store. >> those are the books that changed my life. those are the books that made me a teacher and an activist in my

>> recognizing an uplifting latino culture through books, a perfect example of what hispanic heritage month is all about. >> aurora has been on our show twice before. congratulations to her with her bookstore. before we go, a look at the "tiempo" community calendar for this week. today in manhattan, the annual hispanic day parade marches on 5th avenue, from 44th street to 70th street. that begins at 11:00. the parade, of course, celebrates the traditions, music, and culture of the city's more than 2.4 million hispanic residents. 18 spanish-speaking countries will be represented. it gets under way at noon. also today, this time in new jersey, the first of its kind, peruvian rock festival at schuetzen park, located at 3167 john f. kennedy boulevard in north bergen. the festival will bring many rock stars from peru together. it gets under way at 4:00 p.m. and then this coming thursday in connecticut -- how about

grand finale extravaganza, salsa included, features the latin heartbeat orchestra at the infinity hall, located at 32 front street in hartford. the concert there gets under way at 8:00 p.m. bring your dancing shoes. much^simas gracias. we hope you learned quite a bit today, a full, fact-packed show on "tiempo" this morning. thanks for being with us. if you missed any part of our show, don't worry. you can watch it on abc7 on the web, your tablet, or even your smartphone. that wraps up another edition of "tiempo." i'm joe torres. thanks for watching.