By Pedro Ruz Gutierrez Sun-Sentinel. Web-posted: 11:23 p.m. Apr. 20, 2000
MIAMI -- They fought U.S. wars on foreign soil and now a group of veterans are waging a battle on behalf of Elián Gonzalez.
Some of the former servicemen say they are willing to sacrifice their lives for Elián's cause, even if it means confronting federal agents should they come to remove the boy from the Little Havana neighborhood. But the men are now under scrutiny for allegations that they stored
firearms at a house.
The group, which calls itself the Cuban People's Dignity Movement, is strategically located.
They guard the rear perimeter of the Lázaro Gonzalez home and hold 24-hour vigils.
With radio scanners, a tent and a trained collie named Lips, they stand guard at the home and back yard.
The men are secretive, apprehensive of reporters and even more suspicious of strangers. They are organized into teams and follow a strict chain of command. Their numbers are unknown and so are their shift changes.
But apparently someone has been watching them.
Miami police called the house on Wednesday, one group member said, and asked to speak to the owner on the same day Cuban diplomats complained to the U.S. State Department about the deployment of armed men near Elián's residence. One of the group members got on the phone and told police
investigators they could come inspect the house.
The investigators did. But no weapons were found. Leader Jorge Gonzalez (no relation to Elián), said most of the veterans hold concealed-weapons permits but none had guns on the property.
"They told us they had 'good information' that we were stockpiling firearms," said an ex-Army military police officer who insisted on anonymity. "The only weapons here are those tubes," the man said, laughing and pointing to long plumbing pipes on the grassy driveway.
A day after the police search, the veterans toned down their militancy.
Gone were cardboard signs with references to "Camp Nowhere," and "The Cuban Alamo" that had been placed on the fence by members and supporters.
"We fought on the beaches of Korea, the rice fields of Vietnam and the sands of Iraq," one group member said before the police search Wednesday. "And we are willing to sacrifice our lives to make sure Elián stays in this country." On Thursday, only U.S., Cuban,
Puerto Rican and German flags remained on the chain-link fence. A small blue tent was also removed -- too flashy, two group members suggested.
"What we're really concerned about is the life and safety of that child," said another member who only identified himself as a former U.S Coast Guard employee.
Wednesday's events suggest that Cuban intelligence is quite active in the area surrounding the Gonzalez home. The Cuban government on Wednesday said, "From various sources, we have discovered that among the demonstrators opposite the house where Elián Gonzalez is held kidnapped,
there is a permanent presence of armed men who respond to ... the most recalcitrant counter-revolutionary groups (and they) intend to try and prevent U.S. authorities from taking Elián out of the house."
The statement gave the names and addresses of group members who supposedly had rifles and ties to anti-Cuban terrorist activities. A State Department official said no formal complaint was filed, but that a Cuban diplomat made a passing remark about the allegation.
Spokesmen for the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C. did not return repeated phone calls for comment.
Jorge Gonzalez attributed the allegations to desperation on the part of the Castro regime, after Wednesday's appellate court ruling.
The leader called the accusations "a false story by the Castro regime, which saw itself defeated and resorting to ploys."
Because of its location, the house has attracted several television crews jockeying for more angles from which to videotape the yard where Elián plays and his relatives mingle away from public view.
"They offered us a lot of money. They told us that they had authorization from the family," said a former U.S. army military policeman.
But journalists are not the only ones begging for a spot on the prized lot. The same group member said he has been approached by several "law enforcement agents." He would not specify whether they were federal or local.
Miami police on Thursday would not confirm or deny the search.
Lt. Bill Schwartz emphasized it is illegal to store firearms in a home. He questioned the reports out of Havana, saying, "We can't overreact because you have to consider the source and timing of the information."
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