Since 1898, Puerto Rico, like Hawai'i, Guam, the Philippines, American Samoa, and Cuba has resisted U.S. colonialism. The small island of Vieques, off the coast of Puerto Rico's main island, is home to 9300 residents. In the 1940s, the Navy took 3/4 of the island for military use and relocated the residents to a tiny area sandwiched between a munitions storage area and a live fire range. Intense bombing and live-fire training have destroyed much of the environment and threatens the lives of the residents. Cancer rates are at least 30% higher than the rest of Puerto Rico. Residents believe that toxic contamination from the bombing is to blame for the health problems. The Navy activities have also stunted the development of the island's economy. Seventy-two percent of the Vieques population live below poverty level. Unemployment is at 50%.
Like David vs. Goliath, the community has courageously resisted the military's abuses. In 1979, a flotilla of fishing boats blockaded an amphibious landing in Vieques. This resistance has continued over the last twenty years. On April 19, 1999, two 500-pound bombs missed their target in a Navy exercise, killing civilian security guard David Sanes Rodriques. This event ignited the long-smoldering frustrations of the people of Vieques. Since April, community leaders have occupied the impact zone in five encampments, at the risk of physical harm and arrest. This issue has united Puerto Ricans of all political stripes, both in Puerto Rico and in the United States.
On July 4, 1999, 50,000 Puerto Ricans marched on the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base to demand that the Navy leave Vieques. Vieques has become a symbol of Puerto Rico's colonial status. The four demands of the people of Vieques are: 1. Demilitarization; 2. Decontamination; 3. Devolution (Return the land to the people); and 4. Development (sustainable, community-based economic development). The Navy has threatened to resume training on December 1. The community has vowed to engage in massive civil disobedience if training resumes. President Clinton must soon make a decision on whether the U.S. Navy leaves or stays in Vieques.