11 Protesting Vieques Bombings Arrested

Eleven people protesting the Navy’s use of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques for bombing exercises were arrested after a banner was hung out of the crown of the Statue of Liberty. A spokesman for the U.S. Park Police said one person hung out of a window in the crown holding an object that police identified as either a flag or a banner. Police said charges had not yet been determined. The Navy has used two-thirds of the island for exercises since the 1940s. President Clinton has pledged that the Navy will leave Vieques by May 2003 if residents vote in a referendum to expel it. That vote is expected as early as next year.