May 4, 2000 – Vieques
On May 4, 2000, exactly 9 years ago today, beginning around 5:30AM, federal authorities engaged in a massive display of force deploying over 300 agents to arrest over 200 people in Vieques. Those arrested were engaged in civil disobedience, in front of the entrance at Camp Garcia and in the bombing range in Vieques. Federal authorities arrested dozens of members of the clergy, fishermen, teachers, students, artists, environmentalists, and elected officials including Members of Congress, among others. The civil disobedience camps on the eastern part of Vieques, where dozens of people had stopped the bombing for over a year, were destroyed by the agents, including the ecumenical chapel built among the camps. In spite of the massive display of force, the destruction of the camps, and the arrests, civil disobedience and peaceful resistance for peace in Vieques continued. The following video, courtesy of Televicentro de Puerto Rico, provides a brief glimpse into what happened that day, May 4, 2000: