HISTORY OF THE ISLAND OF VIEQUES
Vieques is an island 8 miles off the eastern coast of the main island of Puerto Rico. The small, volcanic island is 21 miles from east to west and 4.5 miles from north to south. Vieques was originally inhabited by ancient indigenous peoples, known as the Taino, dating back to 3000BC. When the Europeans landed on the main island led by Christopher Columbus, the indigenous peoples fought against the Europeans. The Spanish armies came and killed, enslaved, and imprisoned the inhabitants of Vieques. It was not until the 19th century, that the Spanish took over the island and in 1854, Vieques was annexed to Puerto Rico proper.
Around this time, many slaves were brought over from neighboring Caribbean islands to work on the sugar cane plantations which was the main support of the Vieques economy until the 1930’s. The ruins of which are still standing today.
The US took formal control of the island in 1899. This led to even bigger problems for the little island of Vieques. During WWII, the US Navy took over 2/3 of the island and used it to test nuclear and chemical weapons as well as munitions. The people were forced to inhabit a very small piece of the island and had to relocate and rebuild their homes.
Napalm, Agent Orange, DU(depleted uranium) and land mines were some of the weapons that were constantly being detonated on the island.
Children in school had to study with the walls shaking and this became a normal way of life. There are public areas where unexploded land mines still rest.
To add flames to the fire, the US Navy left the island with a lingering cancer susceptibility whereas the people of Vieques have a 27% higher rate of getting cancer, or being born with cancer, than those who inhabit Puerto Rico proper, 8 miles away. There are no chemo or dialysis services on the island and to receive these services, Viequenses must travel to the main island, all the way to San Juan hospital (80 miles from Vieques). Another lasting deteriorating health effect of the bombing is high rate of heart disease among the Viequense.
The bombings and weapons testing continued for 60 years despite ongoing protests. The US Navy did not leave Vieques until 2003 and the land they once occupied was deemed as a National Wildlife Refuge. Weapons and munitions were stored in bunkers that are still standing today. Many are empty, some locked, some are littered with Navy computers and tvs, and one was even turned into a nightclub for a short time. They have not all been cleared out and the removal and disposal of the contents and undetonated bombs continues today.
Fast Forward 12 years and on September 20th, 2017 , Hurricane Maria lands on Vieques. What was left behind was an island destroyed, with no hospital to help the people, and with no power for the following 9 months.
Many were left without homes and some with only a shell of a shelter. There were people in the streets begging for water from other residents.
It took the death of 13 year-old Jaideliz on January, 12 2020, for FEMA to start a plan monetize and to rebuild the hospital (DTC). Demolition just began last week (May 18th, 2022). It has been said that construction will take two years, but the residents believe that the demo is a ploy by their government and do not believe the timeline. In an article from May, 19th (jayfonseca.com “Gobierno nunca solicito enmieda a FEMA para la contruccion de un hospital en Vieques”), it is stated that the government did not formerly request the designation of the facility as a hospital to raise funds from FEMA. It will be instead rebuilt as a replacement center for the Diagnostic and Treatment Center as per FEMA regulations that state eligibility for funding is for what existed before the storm. The cost of replacing Vieques’s old hospital was estimated at $70 million. However, FEMA did not agree with that figure and reassessed the grant with the Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3) to reach a preliminary agreement of $46 million. There are grandiose articles stating that the facilities will be different, but this article clearly states that is not possible based on lack of funding. The people of Vieques have been lied to for so many years that most have given up on ever seeing proper healthcare and the rest are angry because they feel they are being treated as less that human. The civil rights and basic human rights violations here are absurd.
In the meantime, the makeshift ER (Centro de Salud), the island with no lifesaving equipment and lack of a doctor always present, is and will be the only healthcare still available on the island. This building is small and is guarded by a security guard in front of a locked door (right before this photo was taken, a nurse was outside talking to security, as we walked closer he got up and shut the door).
I gained entry inside after waiting 5 minutes and was led into a hallway where we spoke with a nurse, who informed us there was no doctor present and to come back tomorrow morning at 7 am.
The Dr. Goodburn’s Foundation was created to assist with this horrible situation. We intend to get proper supplies to this tiny facility so that no more people have to unnecessarily die. It is important to note that there is also no pharmacy on the island. There needs to be a birthing room, an overnight bed, dialysis, chemo, a ventilator, and proper supplies to avoid infection upon treatment. It is clear at least one more doctor is desperately needed as well. Donations will be raised from sales of Dr. Goodburn’s Tequila (will go into production Sept), as well as from crowdfunding and social platforms.
The Dr. Goodburn’s Foundation was created to assist with this horrible situation. We intend to get proper supplies to this tiny facility so that no more people have to unnecessarily die. It is important to note that there is also no pharmacy on the island. There needs to be a birthing room, an overnight bed, dialysis, chemo, a ventilator, and proper supplies to avoid infection upon treatment. It is clear at least one more doctor is desperately needed as well. Donations will be raised from sales of Dr. Goodburn’s Tequila (will go into production Sept), as well as from crowdfunding and social platforms.
Most of the world is unaware that Vieques exists. Awareness will be a huge factor in raising funds. The people are still rebuilding after Hurricane Maria and it is wonderful to see nature replenish itself. The US government abandoned Puerto Rico. A video on YouTube says it all at – https://youtu.be/uz53jNXJFqs (“Trump calls Puerto Rico one of the most corrupt places on earth”)- you may remember this when he threw paper towel rolls at Puerto Rican people after Hurricane Maria and said to clean it up.
Here is an article from 1988 when Jesse Jackson was campaigning for President. Even here it states the dilapidated state of the DTC (the article states there were lack of sheets on the hospital beds and this is what they are rebuilding?).
The people have been laying cinder blocks in the Luis Munoz town plaza in peaceful protest. Thousands of blocks now lie there, with the goal being to collect one for each of the 9,000+ residents.
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