Puerto Rican dissident's death underscores inequities

By Maria Teresa Donate

The Morning Call, October 3, 2005

On Sept. 23, an operative from the federal government shut down the town of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, in an attempt to capture one of the most wanted men on the FBI list, Filiberto Ojeda. What may have appeared to be a routine police action truly was a reflection of the political struggle that the island has dealt with for decades.

Puerto Rico has been a colony for 500 hundred years, first of Spain and then of the United States. In 1898, at the conclusion of what is called the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded the island to the United States. The U.S. military declared martial law, installed a U.S. governor, and began a program that destroyed the fiber of Puerto Rico. Without any regard for the traditions of the island, the military imposed a new order.

It was not until 1950 that President Harry S Truman signed Public Act 600, which allowed Puerto Ricans to draft a constitution and create the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In 1952, Puerto Rico elected its first governor, but the status of Puerto Rico remains a colony, one of the last in the world. Puerto Ricans have a right to citizenship by birth, but they don't enjoy the same rights as other U.S. citizens. (For instance, they may not vote for president and have no vote in Congress.) Yet, our youngsters are on the front lines of all U.S. wars, and have died in disproportionately high numbers.

In the midst of this frustration, a group of Puerto Ricans decided to fight the colonialism and racism. They are workers and professionals, students and teachers, community organizers and artists who found the Puerto Rican condition — on the island and in the United States — intolerable. However, the decision to join the independence movement placed them on a collision course with the U.S. government.

National heroes such as Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Albizu Campus and Oscar Collazo have fought for the independence of Puerto Rico. The consequences of their political actions were severe: forced abandonment of careers, expulsion from school, being spied upon, attacks by the police and FBI, and being branded as terrorists. In addition, they have been incarcerated in federal prisons under unprecedented sentences and degrading prison conditions.

It was in this context that Filiberto Ojeda, a firm believer of the independence movement, decided to evade the federal government and hide in Puerto Rico for the last 15 years. As reported by the media on the island, on Sept. 23, federal agents landed, bringing snipers, M16s and vehicles, as if they were invading once more, this time at the small town of Hormigueros.

With disregard and disrespect for the local government, they executed their operation. First, they commanded the local energy provider to discontinue power to the town. They then blocked all access to the city and circled the resident of Ojeda. The 72-year-old man yelled that he would surrender to a local reporter. The federals decided that Filiberto represented a ''high risk'' and opened fire, and more than 110 bullet shells have been found so far. Ojeda was wounded, but the army of agents decided that entering the house was not safe. Twenty four hours later, they went in and found Filiberto dead due to lack of medical attention.

Many Puerto Ricans on the Island and in the continental U.S. have crossed the lines of political ideologies to express their discontent with this action. The National Boricua Human Rights Network, based in Chicago, stated, ''Many Puerto Rican public officials have condemned this act, including the governor of Puerto Rico, legislators and leaders of different political parties, such as Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuno.''

The group also supported Anibal Acevedo Vila, governor of Puerto Rico, who said, ''There must be a profound and complete investigation into the actions of the FBI. We condemn in the most energetic manner this affront to our people. This aggressive act of imperialism is an example of the violence we Boricuas suffer every day at the hands of racist policeman in our communities in New York, Philadelphia, Hartford, Boston, Orlando, Chicago and wherever our people reside.''

Once more, the colonial status of the island has manifested itself as a debilitating force that negates our autonomy and right to self-determination. It is time for us to become partners and equals. We have paid our dues with interest, and we expect to see the results. We are only asking, after all, for the same respect and ideology that this nation wants for Iraq.

Maria Teresa Donate of Bethlehem is an associate professor at Northampton Community College.