Colectivo de Resistencia
Amig@s de Vieques
Amigos del Mar

Tuesday, April 30, 2001

PRESS RELEASE


Manhattan, NY--- Today the environmentalist leader Alberto De Jesús Mercado (a.k.a. Tito Kayak) appeared before federal court in Manhattan to hear the verdict for his November 5th pacific protest at the Statue of Liberty in favor of the immediate withdrawal of the U.S. Navy from Vieques. Magistrate Michael H. Dolinger found him guilty of trespassing and set next July 30th for sentence hearing.

"We want to make clear that a sentence is still pending in this case. This afternoon the Magistrate only took a determination on this case. Tito is not incarcerated. It won't be until the end of the summer that a sentence will be given," informed Carmen Chazulle Rivera, spokesperson for Amig@s de Vieques and Amigos del Mar.

Tonight at Guaynabo's Federal Court in Puerto Rico the judicial procedures against those arrested in Vieques took place. Mr. Frank De Jesús, Tito's father, was one of the people arrested on Saturday for sneaking into the "restricted areas" in Vieques. Charges were pressed against Mr. De Jesus and a bail of $3,000 with the 10% was set.

"I'm grateful to all the people that have been supportive of the Vieques' cause and collected the amount imposed for the bails of comrades in the struggle and my father, a person that has a delicate health condition", expressed Tito Kayak.

College students Félix Aponte, Albanaí Valentín, Ricardo (Gugi) Morales, members of the Colectivo de Resistencia Amig@s de Vieques are also facing the same charges. They were given a bail of $1,000 with the 20 percent.