Spokespersons for the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CRDV) petitioned the Governor, Sila M. Calderón, to take the measures necessary to remove the Riot Police from Vieques and prohibit military use of the state roads on the island municipality. The Governor promised the Viequenses she would remove the Riot Police from the entrance to Camp García, where they permit the flow of traffic in and out of the base and provide escorts to the military on civilian roads.

Nilda Medina, member of the CRDV, said "military traffic on Vieques streets represents a danger and a provocation for our community. Navy trucks have caused at least a dozen accidents this year since the 4th of May. The immediate cessation of military activity includes the cessation of movement on our roads of equipment and personnel associated with Naval operations."

The Viequenses pointed out that military vehicles transit through school zones placing students in danger and interrupting the teaching process. They say the route used by the Navy passes by a housing project, three churches, several work centers and the hospital.

Members of the CRDV discussed this situation at a recent meeting with Vieques mayor, Dámaso Serrano, who agrees with the urgent need to stop military vehicular movement in the civilian sector. One of the first resolutions to be presented to the new municipal assembly calls for a prohibition of military use of municipal streets and urges a similar action by agecies that regulate use of the state roads here.

"The Riot Police make it possible for the Navy to use the civilian area for its operations that cause so much damage to our people," said Ismael Guadalupe, of the CRDV. "If the government succeeds in stopping military use of the civilian sector, the Riot Police won't be needed. If the government proves incapable of putting and end to this situation, our people will take the steps necessary, using methods of peaceful civil disobedience," finished Guadalupe.

The Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CRDV) continues its consistent efforts, together with diverse sectors of the Vieques-Puerto Rico society, in this struggle , decontamination, return of all lands to our people and to work for a sustainable and community controlled development of a Free Vieques.

On 7 January, friend to Vieques, Ramón Figueroa and his Working Committee in Support of Vieques (WCSV) - in particular, Marina Moscoso, Elga Castro and Irmgard Iglesias -with the participation of the Vieques Women´s Alliance, successfully celebrated the Second Three Kings Festival for Vieques. Also contributing to the success of the event was the Federal Employees for Peace, the Municipality of Carolina, and the Caribbean Project for Peace and Justice. The activities included music, clowns, workshops for kids, food and maaaaaaaany non violent toys. An important part of this years Festival was the publication of the first edition of the magazine, Biekesí, available from the WCSV by email at: ctav_@hotmail.com.

That same day we had a visit from the Board of Directors of the Vega Alta Cooperative, that donated two thousand dollars to the CPRDV which was used to help purchase the toys and food for the Three Kings Festival. The members of the coop's board met at the Peace and Justice Camp (PJC) with people from the community and from the CRDV to discuss the current situation of the struggle and possible future projects of dissemination of information through the cooperatives of Puerto Rico.

Sunday also included a visit from Denis Rivera, President of the 1199 Health Workers Union of New York, one of the most powerful unions in the country. Denis discussed with us his recent personal contacts with President Clinton, part of the campaign to get Clinton - before he leaves the White House - to order the immediate and permanent cessation of all military activity here. Denis came accompanied by Senator Roberto Pratts, who brought a message from Sila indicating her interest in maintaining lines of communication with the community organizations in struggle.

On Monday, January 8th, the new Mayor of Vieques, Damaso Serrano, was sworn in during a festive ceremony. Serrano has proven himself to be committed to peace for Vieques and has participated in civil disobedience actions at the Peace and Justice Camp as well as in the bombing zone. During the ceremony, Dr. Rafael Rivera Castaño presented Damaso with a plaque from the CRDV in recognition of his active participation in the civil disobedience actions and for his support, during many years, of the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques.

The week continued with a visit from the new Superintendent of Police, Pierre Vivoni, on Tuesday, at the PJC where he met with several leader of the Vieques struggle: Ismael Guadalupe, Carlos Zenón, Yabureibo Zenón, Radamés Tirado (ex alcalde de Vieques), Nilda Medina, Robert Rabin, Luz Leguillou and members of the PJC, the Luisa Guadalupe Camp and Ramón Figueroa of the WCSV.

We expressed to the Superintendent the urgency of removing the Rito Police and we made it clear we would not accept the substitution of this force for another police forces - that is, a change of uniforms or of the size of billy clubs. We indicated that the community´s demand is for the immediate and permanent cessation of all military activity including the cessation of military transit on Vieques roads and through the gate at Camp García.

The Governor has recently communicated on several ocassions with us through the Secretary of the Government, César Miranda, Senator Roberto Pratts and the new police chief. However, we stand firm in our position that this struggle belongs to the people - not the politicians. We cannot have complete faith in the politicians because history does not allow it. We hope to have the support of the elected government officials, who are responsible for the security of our people. We hope the Governor stands firm in her position in favor the the immediate and permanent cessation of military activity here - and that she support future actions by our people against threats of future bombing. But we will not lower our guard. We will not wait for others to do what is the responsibility of the community - continue the struggle for the complete demilitarization of Vieques.

We are participating in the international campaign currently underway to denounce the use of of uranium 238 weapons. In our press release we mentioned the serious danger we live with due to the presence of hundreds of uranium projectiles on the east end of the island. The Navy admitied it shot the radioactive weapons in February of 1999. They also admited they have no been able to remove all the shells because of the danger involved and because they have found them all.

Dr. Martin Luther King weekend saw much activity at the Peace and Justice Camp. On Saturdy, 14 January, we held a workshop on civil disobedience with the participation of several Viequenses arrested for cd actions and with Prof. Carlos Alá. Twenty people from the main island of Puerto Rico - part of a long list of people signing up for the next cd actions - travelled to Vieques to participate in the workshop.

The Saturday night vigil was spectacular. We began with a 'singing of the rosaries' under the direction of Norma Salazar and her husband, Tite Curet Alonso, together with the music/dance group, Plenibom. After a militant round of picketing in front of the entrance to the Navy's Camp García, the vigil continued with a concert of solidarity music by Americo Boschetti and the group Colindancias.

On Sunday, we carried out the Third Embrace of the Military Fence. Around 250 people, mostly from Vieques, participated in the activity that began with an invocation from Pastor Cally Jackson, of the Methodist Church of Philadelphia, followed by spiritual messages from Pasto Lucy Rosario of the Methodist Church of Vieques and Father Nelson López of the Catholic Church here. We heard short messsages from several of the participating organizations - Coord. Committee All Puerto Rico with Vieques, Socialist Frente, National de Hostos Congress, The Mountain Area with Vieques, Aibonito with Vieques, All Cayey with Vieques, Mayaguez with Vieques, the New Independence Movement, Interanational Socialist Organization, and other groupos from the main island. Local Vieques groups represented - apart from the churches, the CRDV and PJC - included the Alliance of Viequense Women, the Vieques Youth United, Vieques Horsemen for Peace, Vieques Veterans for Peace, Mount Carmelo and the Luisa Guadalupe Camp.

After a picket in front of the entrance to the base, the signal was given to move into position to 'embrace' the fence. Around 150 people entered an area adjacent to the Camp Garcia gate, closed in on the military fence and in less than fifteen minutes, around two hundred feet of cyclone fence was on the ground - including the razor wire with its sharp knives. We all returned to Peace and Justice Camp for a last round of picketing and final messages.

This action had as its primary purposes 1) to send a message to the Navy about the militancy of our people; 2) give our community an opportunity to study the details of the fence's construction and the mechanics involved in taking it down and 3) to practice for the next round of civil disobedience acttions.

US Navy Out of Vieques!