Little Havana Crowd Greets Ruling with Dismay

MIAMI, June 1 – The crowd that gathered today outside the empty Little Havana house where young Elian Gonzalez once lived groaned loudly when the court decision was announced that the boy is not entitled to a political asylum hearing.

But few in the growing crowd of about 100 people, even those who began to cry and comfort each other, were really surprised at the ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

"I just wanted to be here no matter what happens," said Lazaro Astengo, 27, an unemployed security guard who came to the U.S. 20 years ago. "You can see people have lost hope here today. Everything is going opposite of what we thought. What else can we expect? Only the worst."

Both Cuban exile leaders and Miami police said they doubted there would be a repeat of the mass demonstrations that rocked the Little Havana community after the boy's pre-dawn seizure from his Miami relatives' home on April 22 and his return to his Cuban father in the Washington, D.C., area. That protest resulted in more than 350 arrests.

Further demonstrations may have been forestalled by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service's decision to extend its order forbidding Elian's departure for Cuba for another 14 days. Many in the crowd had feared the boy would board a plane as early as today.

"I do not expect any violence at this point," said Jose Basulto, leader of the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. "This is going to generate deep resentment. . . . But we're calling for people to remain calm."

Miami Police Lt. Bill Schwartz also called for calm, saying police were taking a "laid-back" approach and appealing to the crowd to keep the focus "on Elian Gonzalez." During the April 22 protests, some demonstrators appeared to take their frustrations out on local police.

Many churches in the Little Havana community announced plans to keep their doors open until midnight, allowing people a chance to come in and pray and vent their emotions about the developments.

Although Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez and his family have not lived in the small white house on Northwest Second Street in Little Havana since shortly after the pre-dawn raid, supporters still began gathering there early this morning in a symbolic gesture. Throughout the boy's five months in Miami, supporters often kept all-night vigils outside the home.

Ramon Saul Sanchez, leader of the exile group Democracy Movement who coordinated the earlier street protests, said today he was "very disappointed" by the court's ruling.

"I thought the court would at least recognize there are some cases where the voice of a child should be heard," he said.

Special correspondent Catharine Skipp contributed to this report.