The President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status
Public Hearing in Washington, DC
May 25, 2010
TESTIMONY
By
Giovanna Negretti
Co-founder, Executive Director
¿Oíste? The Massachusetts Latino Political Organization
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Good afternoon!
Co-chairs Cecilia Muñoz and Tom Perelli, and other
distinguished members of the Task Force,
I would like to thank you for your invitation to discuss the
present and future of Vieques, Puerto Rico.
My name is Giovanna Alvarez Negretti. I am the founding
Executive Director of Oiste, a statewide Latino Political
organization devoted to leadership development,
candidate training, advocacy and civic engagement of
Latinos in Massachusetts. However, I am here in my
personal capacity.
I am here on behalf of my grandmother, Fe Josefina
Lavergne Colon. She was born in Mosquito, a town no
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longer in existence in Vieques and now lives in Esperanza.
Dona Fe, or Tata, as I call her, is a living reminder of what
this island means to me.
I lived in Vieques for a period of time when I was a child.
After we left, my mother took us back repeatedly
throughout our childhood. I have my fondest memories
camping on the Media Luna, eating fried fish and arepas
at Tito Bloque, and strolling down what is now the
Malecon.
So it is indeed an honor to be here to talk about the future
of Vieques. And although we are not here to dwell on the
past, we cannot talk about the future without honoring
where we are and how we got here in the first place.
The Past
For over 200 days per year from 1941-2003, the Navy used
significant portions of the Island of Vieques for training
exercises and munitions testing. During this period, the
Navy tested nearly every kind of munitions employed by
the military. The Navy’s presence and military practices
on the island severely impacted the local population in
numerous ways, including health, economic development,
and environment.
The people of Vieques showed tremendous resilience
throughout those 62 years and they continue to do so
today. However, not without a cost.
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Today
Economic development
So the Navy is now gone but we all know that was only
half the battle. Today, as a result of 62 years of the Navy’s
military practices, the local economy has been destroyed.
We see the effects of this through rapid gentrification,
large number of displacements, and the lack of locally
owned small businesses. People can’t afford to buy homes.
They are being outpriced by foreigners. There are no
opportunities for higher education on the island. There are
very few opportunities for investment and/or small
business loans.
This reminds me of my Aunt Ardelle Ferrer, an artist and
activist whose dream is to build a eco-park for children to
play and enjoy nature but can’t find the resources to do it.
Or how about Nestor Guishard, who has the only locally
owned kayak tour to the biolumniscent bay who is being
drowned by foreign owned businesses with more
resources.
Health
Health is another serious issue needing attention in
Vieques. According to Dr. John Wargo, a scientist at Yale
University, the NAVY dropped over 100 million pounds of
ordnance on Vieques. However, in spite of multiple
requests from elected officials and community leaders, the
Navy has refused to disclose the complete list and
amounts of all materials sprayed, dropped, tested, or
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disposed of on the island and surrounding ocean during
the 62-years of weapons testing.
This irresponsible action makes it almost impossible for
scientists and government agencies to determine the exact
exposure risks that the viequenses were submitted to
given the community’s proximity to the military testing
site.
This is particularly [disturbing] worrisome, when
according to the data from the Puerto Rico Department of
Health, the people of Vieques have a 25% higher infant
mortality rate, 30% higher rate of cancer, a 381% higher
rate of hypertension, a 95% higher rate of cirrhosis of the
liver, and a 41% higher rate of diabetes than those on the
main island of Puerto Rico. Notwithstanding, the Navy
denies any culpability and refuses to help alleviate the
suffering it has caused.
According to the Mayor of Vieques, with whom I spoke
yesterday as part of my preparation for this hearing, she is
very concerned that “although the bombings ended, the
health situation has shown no signs of improvement.”
This situation is aggravated since island residents are
forced to travel to the main island of Puerto Rico for
treatment given the lack of adequate medical facilities in
Vieques.
Let me give you an idea of what they endure on a regular
basis. My grandmother has to wake up at 3 or 4am to go
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to the doctor just for a routine medical exam and no
matter the time of the appointment. You see, since there is
no adequate hospital, she has to take the ferry (a 1 and a
half hour trip which is not easy for an 86 year old) or the
plane (which is not cheap). She then has to spend on
public transportation to and from the doctor. She is back
by 7 or 8pm and is hurting more than when she left.
Imagine if you were a cancer patient or have to get
dialysis.
Lawsuit
This brings me to the recent U.S. Department of Justice’s
actions seeking the immediate dismissal of a lawsuit
presented by more than 7,000 residents of Vieques on
sovereign immunity grounds.
This is mind-boggling, to say the least. In a modern society
governments have to be responsible for the wrongs that
they cause and they should not use archaic historical
concepts to avoid responsibility.
The Future
I believe that the Obama Administration has the
opportunity to do the right thing for a people who have
endured enough to ensure the security of the United
States of America [and defend the principals of democracy
and fair play that are its foundation.]
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So, finally, let’s talk about what needs to be done moving
forward. Here are some concrete recommendations.
If [If???] the Administration is serious about its intention
to address the Vieques crisis, the following must be
addressed immediately:
1. Affirmatively address the losses and ongoing medical
needs of the U.S. citizens on Vieques resulting from
the U.S. Navy’s long bombardment and
contamination of the island, and to establish any
facilities necessary to provide for the care of the
people of Vieques and to study the long term effects
of contamination on civilian communities.
2. The U.S. Department of Justice’s strategy to use
sovereign immunity is un-American [??] and contrary
to the promises made by President Barack Obama.
Based on conversations with legal scholars, [I firmly
believe] [it is my
Understanding] that the Obama Administration has
the power to settle these claims immediately. The
White House could direct the Department of Justice to
negotiate a settlement of the individual claims, and
instruct the Secretary of the Navy to settle the
municipality of Vieques's claim as well.
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No matter what is our take on the health claims, the
people of Vieques like all other U.S. citizens deserve
their day in court [and to be made hold].
3. The Administration must help reconstruct the local
economy by funneling resources for investment in
micro enterprises, such as the Microenterprise
Incubator spearheaded by Nilda Medina. Also, the
Administration can and should bring green job
opportunities, and provide incentives for investment
in local businesses.
4. Help homeowners retain their homes and facilitate
credit [and promote the development of affordable
housing] so that viequenses with low income (the
majority of the population) can afford to live there.
5. Clean the mess. Just as there is pain about what is
happening in New Orleans contamination caused by
the oil spill, the viequenses are also suffering with the
contamination caused by the US Navy. [There must
be complete and equitable environmental remediation
immediately.]
6. Throughout this process, it is imperative that the
Administration [take into serious consideration]
[must incorporate] the input and feedback from the
local viquence community.
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Finally, I just want to say that I was the only Latina in
Boston to be a delegate for Obama in 2008 and got the
most amount of votes in my district. In order to get
elected I bused a group of elderly folks to the hall. I
worked hard for this because I believed in that in crucial
times, he would always do the right thing, even if
unpopular. This is that time. This is the time to do right
by Viqueques and viquences
Thank you for your time and I look forward to responding
to your questions.
Addendum
During a recent Summit on the Present and Future of Vieques
hosted by the faith-based group American Values
Network Education Foundation, Members of Congress
like Luis Gutierrez (IL), Steve Rothman (NJ), Kendrick
Meek (FL), Alan Grayson (FL), and Puerto Rico Resident
Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi reiterated their support for
a clean and healthy Vieques.
Likewise, the Honorable Evelyn Delerme, Mayor of
Vieques, Members of the Committee for the Rescue and
Development of Vieques, distinguished scientists like Dr.
Arturo Massol, and close to a hundred community leaders
gathered during the Summit to address the pressing issues
affecting the island.
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The recommendations from the Summit are unequivocal.
Panelists and participants echoed the people of Vieques, to
raise awareness about the need to address not only the
health and environmental problems that are so obvious,
but also the need to develop a cohesive global solution
that helps to reinvigorate the local economy.
Likewise, they made it crystal clear that any solutions, no
matter how creative or well-intentioned, must take into
consideration the needs and concerns of the community.
Who supports Vieques
The health claims of the American citizens in Vieques
have been supported by a growing number of
organizations and groups, including:
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus
The Senate of Puerto Rico
The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
The League of United Latin American Citizens
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed
Officials
The National Council of La Raza
The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
The American Values Network
Oíste, The Massachusetts Latino Political Organization
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The Committee for the Rescue and Development of
Vieques
The Near Northwest Neighborhood Network,
among many others.
But equally important is that there are 4 million Puerto
Ricans in the continental United States who support
Vieques and who are willing and ready to demonstrate
their support this coming November.
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