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| A Cuban flag and a handmade "Closed" sign hang on a strip mall marque as businesses along an empty Flager street are locked up for the day, Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Cuban American leaders have called for a general strike today in protest to the removal of Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relatives Saturday. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser) |
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| A sign hangs on the front door of Miami Dade Health and Rehabilitation Service, Inc., explaining in English and Spanish the center will be closed in support of a strike called Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, to protest the seizure of Elian Gonzalez. Cuban American leaders have called for a general strike today to protest the removal of Elian from his Miami relatives Saturday. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser) |
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| Riot helmets rest on the back of a patrol car as Florida State Troopers wait along Flagler street, Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Cuban American leaders have called for a general strike today to protest the removal of Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relatives Saturday. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser) |
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| Ana Navarro, left, Iraida Barrio and Cristina Perez, right, all employees at R.A Investment in Hialeah, Fla. were given the day off to join the work stoppage called by Cuban-American leaders for all of Dade County Tuesday April 2, 2000. Thousands of business were closed to protest the federal goverment's removal of six-year-old Cuban rafter Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relatives's home early Saturday April 22. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) |
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| Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, left, joins Hispanic lawmakers Tuesday, April 25, 2000 in Tallahassee, Fla., outside the House chamber denouncing federal use of force in the removal of Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relative's home. Rep. Alex Villalobos, extreme right, holds up the Associated Press photograph of the operation during comments at a news conference. From the right are Villalobos, R-Miami; Rep. Gaston Cantens, R-Sweetwater; Sen. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami; unidentifed spectator; and Gov. Bush. (AP Photo/Mark Foley) |
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| Surrounded by lawmakers outside the House chamber Tuesday, April 25, 2000 in Tallahassee, Fla., Senator Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, holds up a copy of the Associated Press photo depicting the taking of Elian Gonzalez from his relative's home over the weekend. Lawmakers denounced the federal use of force while commenting at a news conference. From the left are Rep. Rodolfo Garcia, R-Hialeah; Rep. Luis Rojas, R-Miami; Rep. Gustavo Barreiro, R-Miami Beach; Rep. Gaston Cantens, R-Miami; Sen. Diaz-Balart; and Rep. Annie Betancourt, D-Miami. (AP Photo/Mark Foley) |
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| Supporters of the Miami relatives of Elian Gonzalez demonstrate as vehicles driving by slow down and honk in support Tuesday April 25, 2000 at an intersection in Westchester, Fla. Cuban American community leaders have called for a general strike Tuesday in response to recent events regarding the 6-year-old Cuban boy. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) |
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| Cuban exiles protest along Little Havana's Calle Ocho Tuesday, using a manipulated photograph depicting Fidel Castro as the federal officer who located Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez. Hundreds of businesses in Miami closed Tuesday to protest the government's actions in raid of the boy's Miami relatives home Saturday. (Colin Braley/Reuters) |
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| Florida State Troopers Mark Medei, left, and Dennis Warren, right, get hot dogs from Teresa Rekrut at her stand in Miami, Fl Tuesday April 25, 2000. Rekhut's stand, which is not usually in the area, was the only food available as many businesses in the city, like the one behind them, shut down to protest the removal of Elian Gonzalez from his great-uncle's home. (AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer) |
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| A protester with an upside down American flag runs through lines of cars down Flagler street, Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Protesters took to the street Tuesday as part of general strike forming mile long caravans waving flags and denoucing the governments removal of Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relatives home early Saturday. (AP Photo/LM Otero) |
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| A young protester listens as a City of Miami police officer instructs the driver of the car to have all passengers seated, Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Demonstrators took to the streets in their cars protesting Elian Gonzalez's removal Saturday morning from his Miami home by federal agents. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser) |
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| A protester wearing a gas mask passes a mural showing Fidel Castro, President Bill Clinton and U.S. Attorney Janet Reno as snakes, Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in Miami's Westchester neighborhood. (AP Photo/LM Otero) |
Cuban Americans angry over the Elian Gonzalez case plotted their next moves Tuesday in the midst of a strike that shut down much of the neighborhood and other parts of Miami. It affected even baseball, America's pastime and a Cuban passion.
``I will buy nothing today,'' 70-year-old Angelo Gutierrez said. ``And on Saturday I will march in protest.''
Talk of a mass protest has been circulating since federal agents seized the 6-year-old boy over the weekend. Others said they would ride in bus caravans to protest in the Washington area.
On Tuesday - called ``Martes Muerte'' or ``Dead Tuesday'' - businesses kept iron gates closed, workers stayed home and thousands of students skipped school. Police said there were four arrests for disorderly conduct and other charges, a far cry from the violence last Saturday.
Larger corporations closed some operations - seven supermarkets shut their doors and a McDonald's in Little Havana closed, its flag at half-staff.
Sony canceled its ``Evening of Showcases,'' which featured such Latin stars as singer Gloria Estefan, who supported Elian's Miami relatives. The event was part of the festivities surrounding the Billboard Latin Music Conference and Awards that began Tuesday.
The strike also affected professional baseball games across the country. Tampa Bay's Jose Canseco was the most prominent player to sit out, joining six Florida Marlins, two San Francisco Giants, Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez and Yankees pitcher Orlando Hernandez. Several coaches also missed games.
Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell, whose wife is Cuban and parents are Cuban exiles, missed Tuesday night's home game against the Giants.
``I think a lot of Americans and Latins feel this way. You don't have to be Cuban to support this,'' said Lowell, who was born in Puerto Rico.
The Giants won the game, 6-4, and the boycott hurt the Marlins. With only 19 players available, their starting pitcher was forced to pinch hit in the 11th inning.
Giants manager Dusty Baker advised pitcher Livan Hernandez - the half-brother of the Yankees ace - and catcher Bobby Estalella not to come to the ballpark, fearing for the safety of their family members who live in south Florida.
``You're talking about life and death situations that supersedes baseball,'' Baker said. ``It's sad that politics have to go into baseball, but baseball is part of the world.''
Nearly one-third of Miami-Dade County's public school students - or 115,000 of them - were absent Tuesday. Bank teller Dora Irizarry brought her two boys to the home of Elian's Miami relatives, who have battled in court to keep the boy from being returned to Cuba.
``This is horrible, horrible,'' Irizarry said. ``It's important for them to see this. It's important for them to know what freedom is about.''
Down the street at the closed Zagami's Market, a Cuban flag hung over the store sign. Below was a handwritten sign that read: ``Clinton a traitor. Shame on you.''
While 2,581 employees of Miami-Dade County took the day off, much of the metropolitan area - home to some 800,000 Cubans - was unaffected. The bustling airport and Port of Miami had no difficulties. note the General Strike did not seek to close the airport nor harbour
``I'm Cuban,'' said Ileana Casasola, a supervisor at the airport where only two employees honored the strike. ``I'd love to go support my people, but the problem is the airport is a busy place.''
At The Miami Herald, no reporters took the day off. Several support staff took vacation days at the Herald and its Spanish-language daily, El Nuevo Herald, said Robin Reiter, vice president of human resources.
One impromptu street protest several miles southwest of Little Havana grew to more than 300 by nightfall, and Spanish-language radio announced the names of businesses that closed and those that stayed open.
In the early evening, about 130 protesters gathered outside the Freedom Tower, a former customs building where many Cubans entered the United States in the 1960s. They waved flags and signs and chanted ``Libertad'' as basketball fans streamed into the American Airlines Arena for a Miami Heat playoff game.
``The American public thinks we are angry at them, but what we are is angry at their government,'' said 21-year-old Alberto Baez, who held an American flag upside down and garnished with black material.
Across Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach, tourists lined up with cameras as about a thousand people - many of them wearing black clothing and electrical tape over their mouths - quietly walked 30 blocks from trendy South Beach to the city's Holocaust museum and back.
``We want international tourists to see what we are feeling,'' said John Suarez, a Florida International University student who helped organize the procession.
Some tourists were indifferent, if not annoyed.
``Frankly, I'm a little tired of hearing about it,'' said Jackie Miller, a tourist from Cleveland.
On the Net: Miami-Dade County: http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us
Cuban American National Foundation: http://www.canfnet.org
AP-NY-04-26-00 0614EDT
| San Francisco Giants' Livan Hernandez (L) and Florida Marlins' Mike Lowell were among eight players in Tuesday's matchup who honored a strike called by Cuban Americans to protest the weekend raid that reunited Elian Gonzalez with his father. Hernandez defected from Cuba in 1995, while Lowell's parents left Cuba for Puerto Rico, where he was born. (John Sommers/Reuters) - Apr 26 12:28 PM ET |
Marlins joined by two Mets in Elian protest
April 24, 2000
SportsLine.com wire reports
MIAMI -- The baseball fallout from the Elian Gonzalez situation will affect more than just the Florida Marlins.
Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski gave team employees -- including players -- the option not to come to work Tuesday in the wake of the work stoppage in the Miami area by Cuban-Americans. Three players, two coaches and a club executive announced they will not come to the ballpark for Tuesday night's game against the San Francisco Giants.
Alex Fernandez and fellow starter Vladimir Nunez -- both Cuban Americans -- will not suit up. Joining them will be third baseman Mike Lowell, who is of Cuban descent; coaches Tony Taylor and Fredi Gonzalez; and assistant to the general manager and 2000 Hall of Fame inductee Tony Perez.
In addition, shortstop Rey Ordonez and third base coach Cookie Rojas of the New York Mets, both Cuban Americans, will not be at Shea Stadium for Tuesday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds.
"I'm always behind my players and coaches, and if they feel this is something need to do, I'm with them," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said.
But Alex Ochoa of the Reds, another player from Cuba, is in the starting lineup.
A Texas Rangers spokeswoman said that Rafael Palmeiro, also Cuban American, is in the starting lineup for Texas' game against the Boston Red Sox.
The work stoppage is a form of protest of the United States' government handling of Gonzalez, a 6-year-old boy who fled Cuba with his mother and others on a small boat. His mother drowned and his prospective American citizenship has become a battle among his father, the government and Gonzalez's extended family living in Florida.
Many Cuban Americans in South Florida decided not to go to their jobs Tuesday. Dombrowski gave Marlins employees the option to take the day off if they feel "passionate about the situation."
"I agree with it 100 percent," Florida manager John Boles said. "It's the right thing to do. The skids were greased when I recommended that they do it. There are more important things than our game against San Francisco. Not a lot, but this is one of them."
"My bloodlines are Cuban and you have to take a stand," Lowell said. "All the Cubans on the team feel strongly and are happy to have the support of John Boles. Baseball isn't the No. 1 thing in life all the time. It was time to show support. One game isn't going to be the end of the world. If it was the seventh game of the World Series, I don't know."
Dombrowski also informed officials of the Giants of their plans in accordance with the work stoppage.
The Giants have one Cuban American, pitcher Livan Hernandez, a former Marlin, who is scheduled to start Wednesday against Nunez.
In a pre-dawn raid Saturday, armed INS agents took Gonzalez from the Little Havana home of his relatives and transported him to Bethesda, Maryland. The relatives have not been allowed to see the boy.
Gonzalez's mother and father were divorced when the mother and boy set out for America. The father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, came here from Cuba and wanted to take his son home but was prevented from doing so by the American members of his family.
U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno has maintained that Juan Miguel Gonzalez has the right to legal physical custody of Elian. Currently, father and son have been reunited on Andrews Air Force Base but the elder Gonzalez cannot return to Cuba until an asylum hearing takes place.
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