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The current weather in Culebra

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Privatization of beach access
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Maricarmen Guilloty (66.50.159.---)
Date:   12-16-06 22:04

Flamenco beach access fight...

To the benefit of the people that are interested in this community
fight to defend their right to have free access to their beach, I`m
gonna star writing now and then to let you know what's going on with
that...

Against privatization of muellecito beach access
Flamenco beach, Culebra

Hi, I`m the spokesperson of the group Culebrenses for FREE ACCESS to
their beaches. We-re a group of people that live in Culebra that
are protesting about the privatization of historical /public beach
accesses in Culebra. I want to explain briefly the situation of
muellecito (shark pen) beach access in flamenco beach...

That access is next to the east end of Flamenco lagoon and goes all
the way until it divides: on the left you go to east side of Flamenco
beach, and to the right you go to the old Navy Observation Point and
to the helipad (down the helipad there is an access to Resaca beach).
That beach access exist since Spain time and is what they used to call
caminos reales (royal roads), those caminos were public during Spain
time and when they Americans invade they respected what the Spaniards
designated as public... That access have been in public use for more
than a hundred years to get water (in the old times) and to come and
go from town and go to the beach. In 2005 Victor Gonzalez bought a
farm that is next to that access, first thing he does, closes both
access, the one that goes to flamenco and the one that goes to the
helipad... People right away stared protesting about the closing of
both access, but the muellecito beach access is the more important one
since that is the most used and is a culebrense tradition to celebrate
all kind of cultural and social activities in that area of flamenco.
Victor Gonzalez attempts to close this access includes: a gate, a
cement wall, planting endangered species in the middle of the access,
putting a bird watching tower in the middle, and now a huge manhole
construction box in the middle of the access... he has taken already 8
persons from the community with false accusations to court and has
lost all of them, except this last one with Pan Meibers, the surfer...
The American Civil Liberties Union of P.R. have taken three of the
cases including one of Pan cases with Victor Gonzalez I`ll explain
that one soon because very soon we,re gonna start a fundraising to
help Pan...

Ah, I also want to let you know that you can see some of the pictures
and my press releases in: http://pr.indymedia.org/
and in www.tuplayaenreja.com , the info is all in Spanish but is worth
to see the pictures...

Beaches are ours, Access our right!

Reply To This Message
Re: Privatization of beach access
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Debbie (---.asm.bellsouth.net)
Date:   12-17-06 09:18

Thank you for posting. There are many of us that use this forum to keep up with what's going on on Culebra. There are many of us that would be right there with you protesting if we had the good fortune to live on Culebra. We have heard about Gonzalez, and his many attempts to close the beach access, but most of the articles posted on the matter are in Spanish, and speaking for myself, I can only understand about half of it.

Please, please, please keep posting here to let us know what is going on with this fight.

¡¡Victory to Culebrenses!!

Happy Diving!
Debbie

Reply To This Message
Re: Privatization of beach access
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date:   12-17-06 12:41

Maybe we could just open a paypal account for Pan to help pay for his legal cost?

Reply To This Message
Re: Privatization of beach access
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Banana (---.dialup.umass.edu)
Date:   12-17-06 21:41


¡¡Vaya Maricarmen!!
Saludos a ti Y Pan-
Keep fighting!
I know the Culebrenses will prevail!
Please let people know what they can do to help protect the enviroment and rights of Culebras beautiful people and beaches.
To whom & where do I send letters or Donations?



Photos from the first protest at Flamenco Beach and Court Battle on Dec. 28th:
http://www.bizcochodefango.com/Dec28.html
http://www.bizcochodefango.com/FlamencoMarcha.html

www.bizcochodefango.com

Reply To This Message
Re: Privatization of beach access
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Maricarmen Guilloty (---.coqui.net)
Date:   12-17-06 23:44

Hi eberybody! Continuing Pan sotory....
In the moment Pan has to cases with victor Gonzalez: First Victor Gonzalez made a crim9nal cas for disturbing of the pece and threathening... The day of the facts: Pan wente to take pictures or the Culebra Calendar, he wente there to document the ilegal activity victor employess were doing in the area close to the beach, they were planting endangered speices tress in the middle of the access, so pan went there to take the pictures, he didnt.n know mr. gonzalez was there, but he was, so he kicked pan out of the beach in a very agresive way, Pan refused to leave since averybody has the right to be in the be in the beach and in the maritime zone, victor gonzalez made the case for diturbing of the peace and thrweathening after that... is the second time he does that sine last year he did it the same to 6 residents of culebra incliding pan and he lost... anyway, the police gave Pan one labor day to find a lawyer to that case, which he couldn't do, so he went to court for those charges without any legal representation and Juez jose Millan Ortiz (they same one dismissed the last charges to the 6 culebra residents including pan) found probale cause against him... that same day, after the hearing, pan was waiting in the court for the plice, and victor gonzalez approach hiem saying finally thay were going to court and pan said well let's go for it (meaning going to court), victor gonzalez runs to the police to have a restriction order against pan saying he invited hime to fight, so he got that, for that case Pan paid what it resulted to be a very bad lawyer, that didn't help at all... and even got pan into as situation when they arrested pan for no reason for a false argument Gonzalez said to accuse Pan of a violation of that restriction order in a day that he (Goinzalez)even wasn.t in culebra ...the american civil liberties union is takinfg the disturance of the pece and threathening case, and finalyyy pan found a lawyer of legal asuistence to take the case of the restriction order...
pan has lost lost af his mney and work in this thing, so do I, so we are asking a donation of 25$ minimum that you can send in check or money order in my name Maria Cruz Guilloty... with this money were gonna try to recover Pans money in the first bad lawyer which is like 900 $ plus we really need to get money for all this fight expenses which include protests. signs. paper for flyers, inks, lost jobs, copies, posible disobedience civil camp expenses and all we need to fight this millionaire to defend the right of evr\eryone!!! thanks for all donations!!

Beaches are ours, Access our right!

Reply To This Message
Re: Privatization of beach access
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Maricarmen Guilloty (---.coqui.net)
Date:   12-18-06 08:30

Michael if you know how to open a paypal account to help Pan and to hel us to fight for our fress access to muellecito at Flamenco beach, please let me know I ahve no idea...

Beaches are ours, Access our right!

Reply To This Message
Re: Privatization of beach access
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date:   12-18-06 08:43

Maricarmen I just sent you an email. I will call you later!

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

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