The presentation on the struggle in Vieques was made by Nilda Medina,
leader of the struggle and member of the Committee for the Recovery and
Development of Vieques. Medina overviewed the struggle from its
beginnings to its height in early 1999. She spoke about how civil
disobedience was the means for peaceful struggle that the movement
decided
to use. As well, she mentioned how they learned from the experiences
of
other peace movements in order to use similar strategies. Medina was
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize through the 1000 PeaceWoman
initiative
because of her participation and leadership in this struggle.

Within the context of the Marines leaving Vieques, many Puerto Ricans,
both men and women, asked themselves what steps should be taken in
order
to guarantee sustainable development in accordance with the needs of
the
inhabitants of Vieques. As a response, the Technical Support Group
(GAT)
was created with members from both Vieques and Puerto Rico at large
whose
task was to answer these questions by speaking with the island's
population. This consultation was carried out through workshops in
homes,
people's assemblies, and conferences, with architects who designed
alternative model homes, with educational comic strips, television
programs and the presentation of proposals. The product of these
conversations was the Guide for the Sustainable Development of Vieques,
created by the GAT with feedback from the people of Vieques.

The architect and retired professor Edwin Quiles spoke about evictions
in
Puerto Rico and the government's and speculator's plan to evict more
than
1 million Puerto Ricans (of a total of 4 million) over the course of
the
next few years. The effects of these evictions on society is the
dismemberment and disappearance of community networks, in some cases
ancestral community networks. The architect proposes the improvement
of
already existent neighbourhoods, with no need to empty them first, and
the
densification of urban areas with due respect to the historic and
cultural
relationships and the needs of the inhabitants.

The story of Filiberto Ojeda Rios, leader of the Popular
Boricua-Macheteros Army* who was assassinated by the FBI on September
23,
2005, was presented by his widow, Elma Beatriz Rosado. She narrated
the
events of that day and showed photographs of some of the human rights
violations that Ojeda Rios suffered as well as of the support that he
received from Puerto Rican society. Beatriz Rosado attended a session
of
the Venezuelan National Assembly for an act in recognition of Filiberto
Ojeda greatness.

Also present on the panel where members of the Collective January 23rd
who
spoke about their organizational experiences and struggles both before
and
during the Bolivarian Revolution.

*Translator's note: "Boricua" means "Puerto Rican" and a "machetero"
is
someone who uses a machete.

Trans. Amanda Procter