The death of Josep “Fofito” Morales Pérez, who was the director of the group that operates the “La Resposta” business in Santurce, has caused a stir in the artistic atmosphere of the Island.
The producer was also found dead about 7:26 a.m. last Sunday, Sunday, on the stairs of the building where he resided on Frederick Kugg Street in the St. John County area.
Morales Perez, 52, left a letter in his apartment that would be used as evidence by the Puerto Rican Police Negotiator (NPPR) in which he allegedly explained the reasons for his decision to commit suicide.
A report by the Homicide Division of the San Juan Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) – signed by Agent Isaac Colom Muñoz – details that the letter was written on white paper that reads: “I’m sorry. It was just a mistake. ”
On August 27, “La Resposta” published a press release in which it mentioned that the artistic group was going through a restructuring process that included the departure of Morales Pérez from his position as director of the group, after his name appeared on a social media list that includes the identities of alleged sex offenders.
“As a working group, we are keeping an eye on what is happening on the ‘List’ circulating on social media,” said the statement, which is still available on his Instagram account.
The group was referring to a list also posted on the social network Instagram in an account called “I believe you”, in which the name of Morales Perez appeared – among many others – among people accused of committing various cases of sexual abuse.
The “I believe you” account is part of a stream of complaints that seeks to expose sex offenders and is identified as the #MeTooBoricua, in reference to the movement that was born in late 2017 to report sexual abuse after the allegations against American film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Despite the allegations on social media against Morales Pérez, the director of the CIC of San Juan, Captain Luis Díaz Muñoz, said that there were no complaints of a nature of sexual assault or harassment that were being investigated by of officers from the Uniformed Sex Offenses Division.
The body of Morales Pérez, who worked as a manager and cultural promoter, was sent to the Institute of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy, but all indications are that it was a suicide, as cataloged by the authorities.
The case is still under investigation, according to the ICC report.
The complaint on social media
The report of sexual abuse against Morales Pérez was published on behalf of “I believe in you”, an account that began operating on May 12 and is managed by survivors of gender aggression
In the space of his biography they announce: “A person who tries to silence or invalidate survivors, will be blocked and exposed” and explain that “they want to give a voice to the survivors.”
In their lists appear both the names of men and women marked as abusers. “We rely on testimonies from survivors of whom we don’t always have the full certainty or evidence,” they point out.
However, they argue: “We operate under the premise that we choose to believe those who write to us because no entity does. Because their allegations have been silenced by the power networks and social circles of the aggressors.”
In a story published today, the administrators of the account who remain anonymous, said they were on the verge of the death of the producer but said that the post denouncing him as an aggressor was not deleted by them but after a complaint from a third party against the message, implying that it would have been the Instagram platform that removed the same.
“We will talk about it with the care and sensitivity it deserves,” they said and assured that they will send a statement soon.
Several public figures and independent artists, such as Mimi Maura, Mireya Ramos and Newtone, among others, have mourned the death of Morales Pérez with messages through social media. Even “The Response” posted more than 45 condolence stories submitted by fans and personalities.