May 1, 2001
A Letter from
the Trenches of Vieques
Saludos desde Puerto Rico,
The Navy has been bombing Vieques
since Friday the 27th. We have more than 40 people in the middle
of the firing range. The Navy knows it and has just briefly
stopped the bombing on a few occasions. Each night our people
on the range send up some signal so we can see they are still
there. We also have cell phone contact.
On Friday four of Vieques schools
were shut down by the students and teachers in a protest against
the US Navy bombing. Among the people on the firing range at
that point and still there as of Monday, April 30 is Damaso
Serrano mayor of Vieques, Ruben Berrios, Puerto Rican Independence
Party president and 38 other people. Each night more people
are peacefully entering the firing range to replace those the
Navy finds and takes away. The firing range is about 6 miles
from the entrance to Camp Garcia. Each day other Peaceful protesters
enter Camp Garcia in protest near the main gate and are hand
cuffed, then pepper sprayed (sometimes within sight of the protesters
on the other side of the gate) and taken away. We have at this
point more than 150 people either in jail or in the processing
stage. Including 3 Puerto Ricans senators , 3 Puerto Rican Mayors,
US Congressmen Luis Gutierrez, Dennis Rivera, Robert Kennedy
Jr., Chicano actor, Edward James Olmos, Robbie Draco (the one
that writes the songs for Ricky Martin), Puerto Rican Singer
Danny Rivera and many others.
On Saturday night, a small
group of women lead by Puerto Rican actress Rosita Velazquez
were cutting the fence and crossing into Camp Garcia near the
main gate, almost in the Navy's face. Across the street at the
Peace and Justice Camp we were in the middle of a Mass being
celebrated for the safety of those on the firing range and those
going peacefully in. The US Navy threw tear gas into the crowd
of more than 400 people which included Puerto Rican police,
old folks, women and children. One of the small canisters thrown
had this on it 8230 Tactical Grenade LD Smoke. A three month
old infant had to be taken to the hospital and several other
people had to be attended by paramedics. After that at hour
intervals the Navy kept throwing gas near the camp until about
4 AM.
Please pray for us. We want
to keep this peaceful. In addition to gas, Navy is now resorting
to something that looks like little rubber bullets in a white
sac. One of these things hit Vieques Priest Father Nelson in
the back as he was trying to keep everyone peaceful.
Since Thursday many groups
have been trying to get into the firing range. Saturday night
I thought my group would get in. But at the last minute it was
called off again. Then the pepper spray came and in taking my
glasses off to put water and vinegar on my face they fell and
cracked. I do not have spares. I realized that my chances of
going into the firing range were now zero. If I went there was
a chance that I would loose them completely and thus jeopardize
the chances of the group to do its job. I do not want to be
one of the ones that cut the fence in the Navy's face and cross
over. I think that people that do that are super brave. But
in my vanity I want the Navy to work a while before they get
me. I am home in Mayaguez, getting new glasses and working the
computer in the process. Then I will go back and try again.
I think that one of the meanest things I have seen the Navy
do is dig their fingers into people's eyes in the process of
hand cuffing them and then once handcuffed to pepper spray
them at point blank range in the face. A guy called Wilkens
dug his fingers into Chicago Congressmen Luis Gutierrez's eyes
in full view of everyone.
Send us positive thoughts and
prayers.
Maria
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