Cesar Chavez is most known for his attempts to improve working conditions for the laborers who were forced to work in deplorable circumstances for little salaries. Nonviolent protests were used by Chavez and his Union to contest California grape farmers’ policies (Ortiz, 2021). The demonstrations in Vieques were against the US Navy and US Marine Corps using the island for bombing practices (Espada-Brignoni & Ruiz-Alfaro, 2021). The Bolivian protests in Cochabamba were a series of protests in reaction to the city’s municipal water company’s privatization (Razavi, 2019). When comparing these protests in terms of results, it can be seen that all of them were successful, and protesters’ demands were fulfilled. Cesar Chavez was able to negotiate better conditions for the workers, including their better treatment (Ortiz, 2021). In Cochabamba, the resolution was signed, reverting the governmental decision and releasing detained demonstrators (Razavi, 2019). The Vieques situation eventually halted the USA’s military operations in Vieques (Espada-Brignoni & Ruiz-Alfaro, 2021). However, the intensity levels show that the scales of the protests were largely different – Cesar Chavez was mostly the central figure (together with his small union). At the same time, movements in Bolivia and Puerto Rico combined different clusters of workers and activists.
The peaceful tactics of Chavez proved to be the most suitable approach, while Bolivian and Vieques demonstrations eventually turned into clashes, leading to several casualties. However, due to the scale of these protests and governmental responses, it is hard to adopt a different approach to avoid escalating the situation. Each case study became different in terms of timeframe, which allowed protests to develop and eventually fulfill the demands of demonstrators. The longest one was Vieques, lasting several years (including resuming protests after George W. Bush’s decision to continue operations in 2001). Bolivian and California protests took less time to get a positive response, but given the nature of the opponent – local government and authorities – compared to Puerto Rico’s defiance to the world superpower in its zenith, it is not surprising.
References
Espada-Brignoni, T., & Ruiz-Alfaro, F. (2021). Culture, Subjectivity, and Music in Puerto Rico. International Perspectives in Psychology, 12(3), 155-178.
Ortiz, P. (2021). From slavery to Cesar Chavez and beyond: farmworker organizing in the United States. In The Human Cost of Food (pp. 249-277). University of Texas Press.
Razavi, N. S. (2019). ‘Social Control’and the Politics of Public Participation in Water Remunicipalization, Cochabamba, Bolivia. Water, 11(7), 1455.