For decades, the military fired explosives on Vieques. The US citizens who live there still face the consequences

Wilfred Chan in ViequesMon 1 May 2023 06.00 BST

When Carmen Valencia was five years old, troops came banging on her door. Her mother grabbed a long machete. “I had no idea what was going on, but I thought, if they come in here, they’re going to kill us.”

Now 78, Valencia has lived most of her life on Vieques, one of the Caribbean’s most picturesque islands, under the thunder of bombs. They roared from navy planes just over the hill by her mother’s house, leaving the smell of smoke hanging thick in the air.

She was even more frightened of the troops, who would stalk her neighborhood looking for women to harass.

But Valencia and her whole family are US citizens. Vieques is part of Puerto Rico, a US territory. She wasn’t living in an enemy country – just a 52-square-mile island of farms and cattle ranches, ringed by pristine gold beaches and crystal waters.

Read article here…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/vieques-puerto-rico-us-navy-base-trainin

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https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/seguridad/notas/la-policia-investiga-el-asesinato-de-un-miembro-de-los-bomberos-en-vieques/

La Policía investiga el asesinato de un miembro de los Bomberos en Vieques

https://www.elvocero.com/ley-y-orden/policiacas/asesinan-a-un-bombero-en-vieques/article_e18b34c6-d014-11ed-a144-cb6649abb169.html

El cuerpo de Luis Rubén Ortiz Ventura fue encontrado en el pasillo de su casa en la isla municipio con, al menos, un impacto de bala en el hombro derecho

COMPUEBLANOS:
English below…..Mensaje URGENTE sobre Reunión con el Depto. de Energía  (DOE) de los EU.
Reunión este jueves, 2 FEB 2023, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM. En el Centro de Usos Múltiples.PORQUE ASISTIR ESTA REUNIÓN ?Asista a la reunión para decirle al DOE que queremos energía solar en Vieques. Necesitamos unirnos con los activistas/ambientalistas de la Isla Grande para exigir que el DOE promueva el uso de fondos federales para sistemas solares en los techos y NO para reconstruir el mismo sistema eléctrico que falla constantemente por huracanes y tormentas. En Vieques, la energía solar es más segura y más económica que reconstruir el cable eléctrico subterráneo desde la Isla Grande. Es urgente acabar con nuestra adicción a los combustibles fósiles y salvar nuestro planeta de la destrucción. Residentes de Vieques, regístrense para el recorrido en su comunidad: Vieques: https://forms.office.com/g/xWnDFGf9VQ

ENGLISH: Come to the meeting to tell the DOE that we want solar on Vieques. We need to unite with Big Island activists/environmentalists to demand that the DOE promote the use of federal funds for rooftop solar systems and NOT to rebuild the same electrical system that constantly fails from hurricanes and storms. On Vieques, solar power is more secure and cheaper than rebuilding the underground power cable from the Big Island. It is urgent to end our addiction to fossil fuels and save our planet from destruction. Register for the meeting:  https://forms.office.com/g/xWnDFGf9VQ

On Fri, Jan 27, 2023 at 9:55 PM Kathy Gannett <[email protected]> wrote:

Vieques: PR100 Community Engagement TourYou are invited to join the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Hispanic Federation, along with local leaders, for the PR100 Community Engagement Tour, and learn more about DOE’s ongoing activities. 

The tour will come to Vieques on Thursday, February 2. Your community will have the opportunity to share information about local energy needs, priorities, and visions for a clean energy future, which will help shape and refine DOE’s efforts including PR100. Attendees will also have dedicated time to dialogue with government officials, including Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Please complete this form to register for the event.

Event Details
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2023
Event Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Doors Open: 1:00 PM

Location: Centro de Usos Múltiples
Address: 4HX5+JMX, Isabel Segunda, Vieques 00765
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/bwoTPXk4m6zNusif8