Media has confirmed that two Navy Warships with more than 1,000 Marines and equipment, will participate, along with the FBI and Federal Marshals, in a military operation to remove by force protesters from the resistance camps on Vieques. Those Warships should reach Vieques' waters by Sunday (April 30) evening. It is difficult to know exactly when the raid is going to take place, so we need to be prepared for it to happen anytime after Sunday evening.
According to the law both Janet Reno and Bill Clinton have the authority to call the operation off at anytime prior to its realization. You or your organization should call and fax them to let them know that the best interest of the U.S. will be served by suspending said plan, since arrests will only bring shame to the U.S. in the eyes of the international community and that massive protests will take place both in Puerto Rico and the U.S. We are talking about the veritable invasion of a peaceful island of 9,400 US citizens! This is outrageous and shocks the conscience.
Janet Reno - Attorney General
Phone - 202-514-2001
Maria Echaveste - White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Phone - 202- 456-6594
Fax - 202-456-6703
Prior to the arrests the best thing is to call Reno and Echaveste (phone numbers on response # 2) and to contact the media to have them devote more air time to this story and to present also the point of view and the images of the community that is protesting in Vieques. Suggest to them to send a crew to Vieques ASAP. Demand them to present FACTS like the high cancer rate, instead of RUMORS like the false reports that there are arms on the camps of Civil Disobedience. The moment prior to the arrests is the time you will have to prepare yourself and your group for the moment of the arrests. Look in the following list [http://www.micronetix.net/virus/emergency.htm] to see if there is already a protest planed in your area. If there is, then copy the information and paste it on an e-mail to send it to your contacts immediately. Then you will need to spread the word to affinity organizations (Ecological, Latino, Human Rights, Religious, Anti-Imperialism, Peace/Anti-War). Finally, contact your local media and let them know of the post-arrests protests.
First, call Janet Reno and Clinton (phone numbers on response # 2 ) to let them know that what they have done
is a travesty that brings shame to this nation and that the U.S. Government is
been looked at by the international community as an imperialistic bully that has
decided to brutalize those who defend the Human Rights of the 9,400 people who live in Vieques. Strongly demand that all the Vieques' Political Prisoners
should be freed right away and no charges should be filed against them.
You can also call the media to demand fair coverage and to underscore the
importance this story has. If any media poll takes place let your voice be
counted and encourage your contacts to do the same thing. From this moment on
your energies should be devoted to the protest event taking place in your area.
You must remember to call your contacts and your local media (to
inform them about the protest event). If possible, bring cameras and print these chants
[http://www.micronetix.net/virus/Chants.htm]
to bring with you!
If there are no protests planned in your area you should assume the responsibility for organizing one by talking with some friend or local organizations supportive of the Vieques' struggle. To select the site take this into consideration: the ideal site would be a Federal or Military facility, but keep in mind that you would like to protest in a public place with passers-by. Therefore, if there are no well-located facilities a public plaza or square will be a good place. This will ensure the visibility to the public, will allow you to hand out flyers and inform the public, and it will also decrease the chances of any illegal action from authorities. Remember to call the media for the event and bring cameras and these chants [http://www.micronetix.net/virus/Chants.htm] with you!
Call, e-mail and fax the media in your city. If you have contacts, great. If you don't, it doesn't matter. You should still contact the media, provide them with relevant information and urge them to cover what's happening in Vieques. Use this site to send Press Releases to local and national media:
http://www.micronetix.net/virus/activist.htm contains documents which provide background information on various aspects of the struggle for Vieques. If you access the articles, press releases, etc., you'll have more than enough information on the environmental and ecological devastation in Vieques, the abnormally high rate of illnesses such as cancer, and other aspects. Depending on the target audience, media outlet or organization, you can pull information from these sources and tailor it accordingly.
The general position of the people of Vieques is the same position as the great majority of the people of Puerto Rico and millions of others in the U.S. and elsewhere: The people of Vieques have suffered the abuse of the U.S. Navy for too long and the U.S. Navy must leave without dropping one more bomb, of any kind. The following documents present the position of the people of Vieques:
The best policy is not to assume that others are going to inform others. Vieques activists have an incredibly busy workload, especially these days, and the more people can help out by putting others on alert and calling others as soon as arrests take place (if and when they take place), the better. Send e-mails, faxes, make phone calls. The more people you contact the better. Attend the Vieques events in your cities and tell others about them. Bring banners, poster, flags, bullhorns, flyers etc. to those events. Visit this site for Vieques activists that contains helpful resources, including logos and cartoons for your flyers: [http://www.micronetix.net/virus/activist.htm] Join the ViequesLibre listerve by sending a message to subscribe@viequeslibre.org to receive updated information. If you organize a Vieques event in your community, send a detailed description with contact info to viequeslibre@viequeslibre.org.