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Originally named Bieque by the pre-columbines Indians, the island of Vieques is located in the Caribbean to the East of the big island of Puerto Rico. It has a population of  9,400.

 
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Since 1938, the US Navy has been acquiring land in Vieques by expropriation. The Navy controls 26,000 of the Island's 33,000 acres. Located at the eastern and western sections of the island, the US Navy uses 75% percent of the Island's soil for war maneuvers, and bomb storage.


Vieques & the US Navy:


1. Why is the US Navy at Vieques?
Colony
Expropiation of Land

2. Legacy of the US Navy in Vieques:
Economic Stagnation
Ecological Damage
High Levels of Cancer

3. Struggle and Resistance
The Struggle of David and Goliath
Encampments of Civil Disobedience

4. Related Articles
Vieques: Five Centuries of Struggle and Resistance
by R. Rabin (Link)

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Vista Aérea de la Zona de Tiro en la Punta Este de Vieques

 Amir Guadalupe, 2, reacts to President Clinton's Dec. 3rd decision that bombing may resume in Vieques in March, by throwing a rock at the military guard post of Camp Garcia, the US Navy' main entry point to the Live Impact Area (LIA). Ten civil disobedience camps have been set up in the LIA, and more are expected. Another civil disobedience camp....

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