BY MARIKA LYNCH
As word spread Monday that Elian Gonzalez was likely to be turned
over to his
father soon, protest leaders called on demonstrators to gather
outside the Little
Havana house of his Miami relatives and stay there through the
night and into this
morning.
Democracy Movement leader Ramon Saul Sanchez asked the crowd of
about 150
to stay overnight at the Gonzalez home Monday evening and take
today off from
work to protest at the house. He urged others in the community
to join in.
During his speech to the crowd, he urged them to remain nonviolent
and led them
to a chant of ''El paro viene,'' the strike is coming.
''We will abide by the wishes of the family. They are the only
ones with Elian's
best interest in mind,'' Sanchez said afterward. ''If the government
revokes the
boy's parole and the Miami family doesn't come to an agreement
with the
government, there will be civil disobedience.''
LAWMAKER ARRIVES
At about 9 p.m., U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart swept onto the
scene to address
the crowd. Fresh from the MSNBC broadcast of A Town Meeting:
Battle for Elian
Gonzalez at the Knight Center in Miami, he urged the crowd to
be peaceful.
''Violence is not an option. We cannot resort to violence -- we
have to do
everything within the law to make sure that the pending state
court matter is
resolved,'' he said.
About 8:30 p.m., a 20-car horn-honking parade with signs and Cuban
flags began
a noisy caravan up and down Flagler Street, just blocks from
the Gonzalez home.
Earlier in the day, Sanchez led about 50 people in practicing
to form a human
chain and instructed them on how to be arrested nonviolently.
He asked everyone
to get on their cell phones and invite friends to the Gonzalez
home.
'SITUATION CRITICAL'
''The situation is critical but not lost,'' Sanchez said to the
crowd of people joined
elbow to elbow. ''We need to show the world how we are going
to act in civil
disobedience nonviolently.''
Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas urged people to remain calm.
''We're commending people for the way they acted at the prayer
vigil Wednesday
night and saying that's the kind of activity we need, should
something happen,''
Penelas said.
Family spokesman Armando Gutierrez declined to confirm that the
Immigration
and Naturalization Service had told the family that the boy would
be surrendered
to his father. But he also urged people to remain calm.
Sanchez told the crowd that about 150 federal agents are in town
just waiting to
intervene. Maria Cardona, spokesman for the INS in Washington,
said those
reports are ''absolutely false.''
Outside the house, protesters set up a stereo sound system and
passed around
a microphone, singing songs and urging people to tell everyone
they know to
come to the house. Overhead, a plane towed a banner that read,
''Virgin Mary,
Pray to God, We Will Save Elian,'' from Mision Cristo Rey.
CHAIN QUESTIONED
Religious leader K.A. Paul, of the Global Peace Initiative, in
town to support the
Miami family, questioned if the human chain could stop anything:
''These people
aren't trained. You need 10,000 people in five rows. They won't
stop anything, but
what can you do?''
He implored the crowd to ask God for help.
''We can't do anything without our own strength,'' he told the
crowd through a
microphone. ''We need God to be with us.''
The crowd bowed their heads, and even Francisco Gonzalez, a bridal
shop worker
selling 75-cent candy bars to protesters, prayed.
''I'm very hurt by the situation,'' said Gonzalez, 43.
Meanwhile, in a tent set up outside the home, six people continued
a hunger
strike they began Friday.
One sign hanging in the bushes said, ''You did the right thing,
Al Gore. Promise if
elected to fire Reno and denounce Clinton for treason, and the
White House will
be yours.''
Copyright 2000 Miami Herald