While the College's panel discussion and protests on the subject of U.S. Navy occupation of Vieques raised student awareness of the issue, Dartmouth graduate student Hector Rosario took political activism beyond the Hanover plain last weekend.
Rosario, along with six friends who do not attend Dartmouth, was arrested for running onto the Yankee Stadium field in protest of the military testing during last Friday's Yankees-Orioles game.
During the fifth inning, the seven jumped from the stands onto the field, waving Puerto Rican flags and chanting "U.S. Navy out of Vieques."
While running across the field, they handed a Puerto Rican flag to left-fielder Ricky Ledee and a Puerto Rican T-shirt to center-fielder Bernie Williams, both Puerto Ricans.
Although the crowd initially booed, after realizing what the six were protesting, it began cheering. "For the most part the crowd was extremely supportive. It felt great to be there, to get all that support from the crowd," Rosario said.
However, the protestors were soon tackled by stadium security guards and put under arrest. After 27 hours in jail, they were released, but still face trespassing charges, and could receive up to a $5,000 fine or three months in jail. A court appointment is scheduled for June 9, but Rosario remains optimistic that charges will be dropped.
When the group walked into the court house, 25 supporters greeted them outside and another 25 were in the court room, Rosario said, including an 82-year-old woman. Even some of the police officers showed signs of support, Rosario said.
Rosario is one of many protesting the U.S. Navy's exploitation of Vieques, a Puerto Rican island. Since the 1940s the island has been the site of U.S. military practice and bombing experiments.
Protests received mild support on the Dartmouth campus last Thursday with a rally on the Green, a panel discussion and musical concert to demonstrate support for the island protesters.
Bomb testings have led to the destruction of the island's natural resources and economy, as well as the health and human rights of its people, protesters of the U.S. military presence argue.
Although the citizens have long spoken out against what they deem a colonial-like and exploitive relationship, protests climaxed April 19 this year, when a Puerto Rican was accidentally killed by a U.S. Navy bomb.
Vieques citizens and others, including two U.S. Congressmen, began camping out on the Vieques military base to stop future bombing from occurring. However, this Monday, protestors were removed from the Vieques military base and bomb testing operations resumed.
According to Rosario, from Philadelphia to San Francisco, people have been protesting in the streets and in front of federal buildings. Rosario is already planning future protest activities, and will continue participating in protests until the navy leaves Vieques.
"We are fighting a non-violent struggle. It hasn't worked as we wish it would, because it's hard to get people in the U.S. government and military who are outrageously arrogant to understand [how harmful the U.S. Navy's presence is to the well-being of Vieques citizens]," Rosario said.
