Testimony before the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization
Michael Urayoan Connelly Reyes
Representing Vidas Viequenses Valen, Vieques, Puerto Rico
20 June 2022
We’re an island population with a backstory of more than six decades residing downwind of weapons experiments and a bombing range; plus two more decades of Open Burning / Open Detonation – which is kinda like the same thing, but backwards.
This OB/OD is called “cleanup”.
The UN Secretary General said: “We must change course by 2020 or we risk missing the point where we can avoid disastrous consequences for people and all natural systems that sustain us”.
This “cleanup”, except for some aesthetic details,
The end result is the same:
Poison plumes up in the air, raining toxic onto all forms of life and the systems that sustain it.
Then the estimates are that the Superfund “cleanup” of the bombing range requires 10 to 20 more years, and leaves at least 2 to 4% of the island unsafe and uninhabitable…
Math points to my people living a century under these conditions…
And currently, the health care delivery system on Vieques is extremely limited.
Just a month ago, the only building that could resemble a hospital was
demolished.
Down to the ground..
Without even a contract in-hand to rebuild it…
But people still get sick of burn pits, and die of neglect
By both US government and the so called free associated state
Nothing we can do about the past, It is gone;
Only about the future can we have aspirations.
And of all possible futures we could create,
Each every one involving OB/OD is noxious to life kind as a whole.
Last time i spoke here, this happened:
Congress required the secretary of the Navy to purchase and operate a closed detonation chamber
authorizing $10M for the initiative…
This sum is more than enough to buy state of the art treatment
Yet we got a toy from the dollar store!
According to the UN charter
colonialism is a crime against humanity,
yet here we are, once again.
Truth is: an organization can’t change its mind…
It doesn’t have one.
It is up to the humans who compose it, to make up their mind
And decide to make a change.
Only a ban on OB/OD can provide fair, equitable treatment for all communities,
By protecting all communities.
Maybe this doesn’t sound the way a decolonization speech is supposed to sound
But i feel this has to be said;
After all, this issue of Puerto Rico has been brought before this committee for more than 6 decades…Same amount of time Vieques was bombarded,
with no resulting change…
Humans of this Special committee, you can help.
Having said that
Viva Vieques Libre
Vidas Viequenses Valen
Gracias.
Michael Urayoan Connelly Reyes
Vidas Viequenses Valen
Michaelu.connellyr@live.com