Vieques Civil Disobedience Campaign

The death of civilian security guard David Sanes Rodríguez on April 19, 1999, from errant Navy bombs ignited the most sustained and successful civil disobedience campaign in modern Puerto Rican history.

Within days of Sanes's death, protesters established encampments on the bombing range, physically preventing the Navy from resuming exercises. The movement — known as "La Causa de Vieques" — united Puerto Ricans across political parties, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographic locations.

Notable participants who were arrested for trespassing on the bombing range included:
- Rubén Berríos, president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party
- Reverend Al Sharpton
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Edward James Olmos
- Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez
- Jesse Jackson
- Several members of the U.S. Congress

Over 1,500 people were arrested during the four-year campaign. Massive demonstrations were held in Puerto Rico and in Puerto Rican diaspora communities across the U.S. mainland.

President Clinton initially promised to end the bombing by 2003. In May 2003, the Navy officially closed the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility on Vieques, marking the end of 62 years of military bombardment of the island.

The Vieques campaign demonstrated the power of peaceful, sustained resistance and became a defining moment of Puerto Rican unity across political lines.