5/6/2023 – Vieques was once a peaceful island of farms and cattle ranches in Puerto Rico—until it became the US Navy’s target practice site to test explosives! From 1941 until 2003, the US Navy relentlessly discharged explosives on the land and sea of Vieques. Even after two decades, the residents of Vieques continue to experience adverse effects such as an alarming spike in the occurrences of cancer and other diseases. Research has revealed abnormally high levels of hazardous heavy metals such as mercury, uranium, and arsenic in the hair and urine samples of the people of Vieques. Nearly everyone on the island has lost someone to sickness. Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative in US Congress, has spent years pushing for reparations to residents of Vieques harmed by the Navy’s activities. Her latest bill, the Vieques Recovery and Redevelopment Act, would appoint a special master to approve compensation between $50,000 to $110,000 to each islander, depending on the severity of the impact they have experienced.
Read this article to learn more about Vieques and the fight for reparations at:
www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/vieques-puerto-rico-us-navy-base-training
