The Power of People's Protest
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Vieques: The power of people’s protest Justine Aimee Lewis Senior Comprehensives Occidental College 2004 Project Advisor Robert Gottlieb Table of Contents Acknowledgements:................................................................................................. 3 Personal Introduction:............................................................................................. 4 Chapter One: The History..................................................................................... 9 Puerto Rican History: Colonialism and Resistance ........................................................ 9 Culebra: the Vieques antecedent................................................................................... 12 Vieques Island History.................................................................................................. 13 Enter the Navy .............................................................................................................. 15 Chapter Two: Impacts of Military Presence in Vieques...................... 22 Economic Impacts:........................................................................................................ 22 Environmental Impacts:................................................................................................ 26 Heath Impacts: .............................................................................................................. 36 Social Impacts:.............................................................................................................. 41 Chapter 3: Protest and Resistance................................................................... 44 The Fisherman’s Resistance ......................................................................................... 45 The Period of Pseudo-Silence....................................................................................... 48 The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back....................................................................... 49 The Structure of the Resistance .................................................................................... 50 Non-Violent Civil Disobedience and the Media........................................................... 53 Effective Research and Legal Support.......................................................................... 56 Educating the Movement .............................................................................................. 59 Art and Symbolism ....................................................................................................... 62 The Power of Faith........................................................................................................ 64 Conflicts and Problems................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 4: Resolution and the Future of Vieques................................... 69 The Incomplete Resolution........................................................................................... 69 Case-Study: Vieques as a Model .................................................................................. 71 Vieques Today .............................................................................................................. 74 Policy Recommendations.............................................................................................. 75 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 81 Bibliography:............................................................................................................. 83 1 Interviews:..................................................................................................................... 83 Primary Sources:........................................................................................................... 83 Secondary Sources:....................................................................................................... 85 Appendix ................................................................................................................ 89 Appendix -1 Memorandum to Under Secretary Chapman ........................................... 89 Appendix 2- Report To The Secretary Of Defense Of The Special Panel On Military Operations On Vieques................................................................................................. 91 Appendix 3- Scientific Studies about Contaimination and Health ............................. 101 Appendix 4- Hazardous Chemicals and Health Effects.............................................. 102 Appendix 5- Summary of Air Exposure Pathways..................................................... 108 Appendix 6- Guidelines For The Sustainable Development Of Vieques................... 111 2 Acknowledgements: I must begin by giving my thanks to the divine spirit that has lovingly watched over me and given me the power to make anything possible. All of this would have only been possible with my family’s support and unwavering belief in me. To my big brothers Kahlil and Eli, you two are truly my inspiration in this project. I have endless love and respect for you and all of the work you do everyday to promote peace and awareness all over the States, Puerto Rico and Cuba. For my family in Puerto Rico, I showed up at your doorstep a stranger and you showed me what family in Puerto Rico is all about- thank you. My family in Puerto Rico certainly includes Jessica, Damian, Mark and Ray Joe who guided me through my travels in Puerto Rico and Vieques. You all showed me so much kindness and made a simple research project a real labor of love. To my traveling partner Ayrin, your adventurous spirit and wisdom helped make the trip a success. To my role model and best friend, Grandma Barbara for always being there and showing me endless love. To my amazing brilliant boyfriend, Phil, for putting up with me through this project and standing by me through thick and thin. To Professor Gottlieb, my project advisor and ally through these past four years at Occidental. I can never thank you enough for listening and caring about me. To Professor Chi, for great suggestions and interest in my project. To the Politics Department for providing me with the Anderson grant and the Undergraduate Research Center for the ASP-Richter Grant, which made my trip possible. I would like to thank Robert Rabin, Nilda Media and Deborah Santana who taught me about the movement from the heart of 3 it. And most importantly this is dedicated to all the activist and Viequense whose intelligence, courage and strength made the impossible possible. Their movement will be remembered always as an inspiration to all of those faithfully fighting. Personal Introduction: Sun flecks paint the masses golden as I march in front of the Westwood Federal Building. Arms high above my head, I grasp the words “Wage Peace” scrawled across a plain white poster board. Our loud chants are quickly absorbed by a high energy percussion rhythm that echoes from deep within the crowd. A huge colorful banner emerges from the multitude of people playing drums, singing, and dancing. The slogan PAZ PARA VIEQUES dominates the lavishly illustrated banner. Given my Puerto Rican heritage, I had heard the phrase for years, but only had a rough sketch of the issue in my mind. I found myself desperately wanting to understand everything about Vieques – to be a part of this vibrant group of Puerto Ricans raising awareness about their own peace movement, while protesting the U.S. war on Iraq. There in the wake of the vivid image, I realized that it was time to take an active role in my cultural-political education, and learn all I could about the Vieques issue. While I was studying abroad in New Zealand for six months I heard nothing about the Vieques issue and had practically forgotten about it until my grandmother thoughtfully sent me a newspaper clip from the May 2nd New York Times. I was overjoyed to learn that while I was abroad the Viequenses had won their battle for self- dignity and peace. This one short article on the front page of the National Report left me 4 hungering for more knowledge but as I sifted through the various sources I found very little information about the current situation in Vieques. I decided that the best way to learn about Vieques would be to make it the focus of my senior comprehensive project. From the recommendation by Professor Tsung Chi of the Politics Department, I realized that although I could find substantial secondary research here in Los Angeles I could never fully understand the issue unless I experienced it first hand. I needed some first hand research in order to create a complete research project on the protest movement in Vieques. Thanks to the Politics Department Anderson Grant and the Undergraduate Research Centers ASP-Richter Grant I was able to utilize my winter vacation to travel to Vieques. During my travels I was accompanied by Ayrin Tybalt, an animal science major at Vermont University who I met while studying Biodiversity and Conservation in New Zealand. I also had a number of friends and family in Puerto Rico who helped me along the way. My brother, Kahlil Jacobs-Fantuzzi, as well as two of my friends in San Juan had just been to Vieques in May to celebrate the departure of the Navy and provided me with invaluable contacts and advice. The island of Vieques appears to be a beautiful tropical paradise. The beaches right outside of the base look pristine,