By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press Writer
Thursday , April 13, 2000

MIAMI –– For days, protesters have camped outside the Little Havana home of Elian Gonzalez's great-uncle, promising to defy the government that demands his handover. Now a showdown appears imminent, and those at the house say they are ready.

"We practiced a lot of times, and we had this barricade down in a minute," Hector Rodriguez said early today. He was among a group that rushed past police last week and formed a human chain around the house after a rumor spread that federal marshals were on their way.

The government has ordered the Miami family to take Elian to an area airport this afternoon so he could be put on a flight to Washington to be returned to his father. But Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez insisted he would not give up Elian.

While Attorney General Janet Reno did not elaborate on what would happen if the family fails to comply, government sources have said the Justice Department was prepared to send U.S. marshals and immigration agents into the house to take the boy.

After Lazaro's assertion of defiance, the crowd outside his home – which had thinned Wednesday while the relatives were in Miami Beach for their meeting with Reno – swelled from 50 to about 200. Almost everyone was standing, praying and talking about the latest developments.

"You've heard the expression of ordinary people doing extraordinary things? That is a case of this person, Lazaro Gonzalez, and his family," said Rafael Nodal. "It takes tremendous courage for someone to do that."

Nodal spent the night and planned to skip work today.

"This is two o'clock in the morning. Imagine what it's going to be like at two in the afternoon," he said. "I've never seen our people so united."

Miami has the largest Cuban exile population in the nation, and both of its mayors – Joe Carollo, the city's mayor, and Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas – are of Cuban descent. And unlike immigrant groups in many major cities, Cubans here are, politically, extremely powerful.

On Tuesday night, an estimated 15,000 people clogged the neighborhood's streets in a vigil for Elian. Josefa Machin predicted similar numbers today. "Nobody is going to work," she said.

Still, most demonstrators conceded that the group would not succeed in stopping marshals if they do come for the boy.

"I'm realistic, and I believe something bad is going to happen," said Bernardo Garcia. "We will probably lose the battle."

Arturo Cobo, 59, said he took part in the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. When it failed, he said, he put a gun to his head and almost pulled the trigger.

Cobo said he was once again willing to die – for Elian.

"I'm going to protect this boy with my life, I don't care what the consequences," he said. "The only difference is I don't have any guns this time. I don't have any grenades. I only have my heart."

                                    © 2000 The Associated Press