Rubber bullets fired at crowd

 BY NANCY SAN MARTIN

 A clash between protesters and U.S. security personnel that involved the firing of rubber bullets at civilians heightened tensions Friday between the U.S. Navy and
 opponents of its use of a target range in Puerto Rico.

 The latest clashes on Vieques island ended in the predawn hours Friday when U.S. marshals assisting the Navy with security along the range's perimeter fired "rubber foam ballistics,'' bean bags and tear gas at a group consisting of protesters and journalists. Another round of bombing maneuvers had started hours earlier.

 No one was seriously hurt, but the fact that someone -- in this case, a photographer for the Associated Press -- was struck raised concern over the escalating drama.

 ``It is very clear the Navy will use whatever is necessary to make this [protests] go away,'' said Félix Matos-Rodríguez, director for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York.

 Navy officials said security personnel retaliated after hooded protesters shook the fence surrounding the northern part of the range and threw rocks, Molotov cocktails and other objects at armed security guards.

 Authorities also detained at least 19 protesters Friday who were caught trespassing restricted areas of the 900-acre range. Activists deny they were hostile.

 Authorities said the use of rubber bullets is one of several options they can use for crowd control, but it was not clear if this particular type had been employed before to quell disturbances by civilians at military installations.

 ``I don't know if we've used these foam rubber ballistics before or when was the last time we've used them,'' said Melyssa Webb, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington.

 The disturbance again placed a national spotlight on a debate that could force President Bush into a politically precarious corner.

 ``This is not just a Puerto Rico issue,'' Matos-Rodríguez said. ``It has become a Latino civil rights, environmental and social justice issue.''

 Bush has promised the Navy will leave Vieques by 2003, a move that was viewed by critics as a way to boost support among Hispanic voters. But in a nonbinding local referendum earlier this week, nearly 70 percent of Vieques' voters If the Puerto Rican police `would provide the protection they have agreed to, we would not get into these unfortunate situations.'

 ``Any change in the 2003 deadline is going to be seen as an even more aggressive way to pander to the Latino vote,'' Matos-Rodríguez said. ``But Bush also runs the risk of the situation in Vieques continuing to escalate.''

 An early pullout also could undermine the president's Republican support.

 Several members of Congress have been vocal about the military's need to train, including Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pennsylvania, chairman of the House Readiness
 Subcommittee and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

 Earlier this week, the committee recommended that the Navy continue bombing practices until an equal or better site becomes available.

 ``You can't just get rid of a major facility without finding a suitable alternative site,'' said Bud DeFlaviis, a spokesman for Weldon. ``Congressman Weldon is committed to ensuring that our troops are properly trained, that our military is ready when they are called upon.''

 Over the past two years, protest organizers have stepped up their campaign to oust the Navy by including celebrities and high-profile politicians in groups penetrating the target range in an effort to disrupt practices.

 Puerto Rico's Gov. Sila Calderón also has backed the effort to shut down the target range with full-page ads in some of the nation's largest newspapers at a cost of at least $400,000.

 Her administration also has matched a $50 million pledge tied to a binding referendum in November.

 If the referendum takes place, Vieques voters will determine if the Navy must leave by May 2003.

 If it is allowed to stay, it can resume using live ammunition and the Vieques municipality of 9,300 would have access to $50 million to be used for economic development, housing and infrastructure.

 Calderón also has stressed that protests must remain peaceful and has ordered additional police officers to maintain order in Vieques.

 But police presence in the hilly area where the disturbance occurred remains sparse, Navy officials complained.

 ``They know that this has been a problem area,'' said Bob Nelson, a Navy spokesman at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, which operates the range. ``If they would provide the protection they have agreed to, we would not get into these unfortunate situations.

 ``There are people who are calling this civil disobedience, but is rock throwing, cutting of fences, assaulting security personnel and destroying government property civil disobedience or a criminal act?'' Nelson asked.

 The military exercises are scheduled to continue for another week.

 They involve ship-to-shore shelling, air-to-ground bombing and beach assaults with 23,000 personnel.

                                    © 2001