More protests in PR, NYC for ouster of Gov. Rossello

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Flags in hand, thousands of Puerto Ricans descended into the streets of San Juan for the fifth day of protests.

All were there with a unified message: Governor Ricardo Rosselló must go.

Tensions ratcheted up as protesters burst through a barricade at the governor's mansion.

Police in riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of protestors.

Gov. Rosselló has been under fire since nearly 900 pages of private group chats were leaked and published by the Center for Investigative Journalism in Puerto Rico.

The reported messages between Rosselló and several close aids contain vulgar jokes about women, members of the LGBTQ community, disabled people and victims of Hurricane Maria.

Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York City’s former City Council Speaker, was called a misogynistic name, and an anti-gay slur was aimed at Ricky Martin, who joined the protestors in Puerto Rico.

“We’re tired of the cynicism, they put down women, they put down the LGBT community, people with disabilities. It is insane, we are tired, we can’t take it anymore,” the pop star said.

Rosselló has made a public apology.

"I am not proud of what I did. Those were merely comments, but they were hurtful comments. So, I apologize for what I've done,” he said on Tuesday.

But the governor says he won’t resign.

Rosselló has faced mounting criticism over his government’s response to Hurricane Maria in 2017.

That pent up frustration is spilling out not just in the streets of San Juan, but also in New York City.

Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” joined hundreds in Union Square Wednesday to show solidarity with the protestors in Puerto Rico.