This past month, subMedia released a short documentary on Vieques, Puerto Rico and the ongoing struggle against the imperial and neoliberal forces that dominate it. Also, a member of One Struggle shares her experience from co-producing the documentary below:

“Last year, through OS, I met Leña Verde, a Viequense who shared his story of growing up with the ground shaking beneath him, US Naval abuse of his island and people, and the struggle to oust the Navy from Vieques.

In January of this year, Leña Verde and I met up with subMedia in Vieques, 10 years after the Navy left la Isla Nena. We found an island still fighting imperialist domination for control of their land, economy, and culture. After stealing three quarters of the land, then decimating it with live explosives, depleted uranium, projectiles, napalm, and Agent Orange, the U.S. effectively destroyed the Viequense economy and way of life, based on sugar cane, fishing, and subsistence farming.  Once the Navy left, real estate developers, investors, and speculators took their place, establishing a tourism based economy.  The land stolen from Viequenses and littered with unexploded bombs is now a wildlife refuge that prohibits use of the land for subsistence living, but is a main attraction for tourism.  Most hotels, resorts, restaurants, kayak and paddleboard rental companies are owned by wealthy Americans and Europeans.

Unemployment is extremely high among Viequenses.  Those with jobs often work as maids, servers, and for the US Navy cleanup project, dealing with explosives and other toxic waste left by the Navy. Given these options, many Vieqenses, especially youths, seek out an existence through drug trafficking.

In the face of these immense challenges, we also found Viequenses who remain fiercely combative and committed to continuing the struggle against imperialism in Vieques.  They understand that their enemy is multi-faceted, not just taking shape in military presence and occupation.  The W Resort & Spa, the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, Bananas Restaurant, the Puerto Rican state, U.S. border patrol, ROTHR all represent enemy interests.

We asked Hector, a roadside business owner “What would you tell people in the U.S. about Vieques?” He responded, “Never forget about Vieques, never…  We kicked the Navy out.  That was one step.  Now we need to move to the next… We’re going to continue to fight against these people for our power, but we need to organize.  It’s not going to be easy, but we can do it.””

For an in-depth interview between OS and Leña Verde, read this article published in the 2nd issue of our newspaper.