People in Solidarity With Vieques -  March on the Belly of the Beast

The Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CRDV), the leading Vieques- based civic organization, called the March for Peace in Vieques in Washington, DC "an  admirable showing of the broad-based support that this peaceful and just movement has  gained." Robert Rabin, spokesman for the CRDV in Vieques, said: "We in Vieques wish to express  our gratitude to those brothers and sisters who marched today in Washington, DC to tell  President Bush and the public at large that the Navy must stop bombing and must leave  Vieques, not a year from now, not two years from now, but immediately.  60 years of  suffering is too much." Rabin added: "We thank the various labor, civic, community and religious leaders, as well  as the Members of Congress and many others, who walked the streets of DC today in  order to raise awareness of the injustice suffered by the people of Vieques at the hands of  the Navy, and of the inhumane treatment and excessive punishment suffered by those  who have peacefully defended our land and our people against further destruction. This  showing of love, peace and unity transcends race, color or nationality and is our strongest  weapon in the struggle for peace against the military might that has been imposed on the  people of Vieques." Flavio Cumpiano, attorney and Washington Representative for the CRDV, stated: "The  Navy's damage and destruction to human health, to the environment, to the flora and  fauna, and to the economy of Vieques and its people, must cease immediately and  permanently. Since the demand has always been that one more day of bombing is  unacceptable, allowing for one or two more years of bombing with other organizations- for  the people of Vieques to vote for option #2 (the immediate and permanent cease and  desist of all military activities in Vieques; the immediate withdrawal of the Navy, and the  decontamination and return of the land to Vieques) in the July 29 referendum called for by  the Government of Puerto Rico. At the same time, Rabin said that the CRDV and others  are preparing themselves to participate in civil disobedience in order to stop further  bombing in Vieques should the Navy decide to try to bomb Vieques again. "We will  defeat the Navy in the referendum and we will continue to defend our land if the Navy fails  to respect our democratic will", Rabin added.