MIAMI -- A citywide work stoppage by Cuban-Americans here on
Tuesday, April 25, to protest the seizure of Elian Gonzalez by
armed federal marshals was expected to have a minimal impact on the
city's tourism industry.
Many Cuban American travel agencies closed their doors, but in
some cases retailers were on hand to handle emergencies.
The leaders of 21 Cuban-American organizations, who called for
the daylong work stoppage, said they were not targeting vital
emergency services.
No street protests were planned as part of what leaders said
would be a peaceful protest to express the Cuban American
community's rage at the commando raid to seize Elian.
"There's a lot of hurt, a lot of dismay," said Jack Guiteras,
whose Lorraine Travel Bureau is believed to be the first travel
agency to have transferred from Havana to Miami, in 1960.
"I feel personally, as a Cuban-American, that for the U.S.
government to have gone in there in the middle of the night with
machine guns is a travesty of what this country stands for.
"There was no justification, particularly as they were in the
middle of negotiations, mediated by independent community
leaders."
Guiteras, who said that about half of his company's 35 employees
are Cuban-Americans, said the agency would not open its doors on
Tuesday but a skeleton staff would attend to any emergency
business.
He was still bitter about the seizure of travel agencies and
other businesses by the Castro regime, saying: "They confiscated
everything down to hamburger stands. To this day, there are no
independent Cuban travel agencies."
Guiteras urged the U.S. to slow down any efforts to normalize
relations with the Castro regime, saying: "I really hate to see
people propping up Cuba with their travel and money.
"My hope is that people in the travel industry will show
restraint, particularly when this guy [Castro] is at the end of his
rope."
Mary Camacho, a frontline agent at Lorraine Travel who was
awarded a plaque of appreciation from the U.S. Coast Guard for her
services to that agency, said she planned to come to work Tuesday
to take care of any emergency tickets and spend the rest of the day
in a "peaceful vigil."
"I think the way Elian was removed was not right," she said.
"The courts should have settled it, not Janet Reno and the
President."
Olga Ramudo, who operates Express Travel here with her two
sisters, said her agency and its 31 employees would be closed down
on Tuesday.
She said that her agency, which handles the account for the
Cuban American Foundation, the group that has spearheaded the cause
of Elian's Miami relatives to keep the child in this country, made
the travel arrangements for six members of the family to fly to
Washington, D.C., just hours after the child was seized.
"I don't know that there are adjectives to describe our
outrage," she said. "We feel betrayed. I was at a cocktail party
last month with President Clinton and had my picture taken with
him. But I am returning the picture. I am ashamed to have that
picture."
Ramudo said she understood why many Americans believe the child
should be returned to the custody of his father. But she added: "In
Cuba, the state has the custody of children. This child's mother
was willing to give her life to give this child freedom.
"You need to be very desperate to get on a raft. If more people
knew how many have died in the Straits of Florida trying to leave
Cuba, they would feel differently."
Ramudo, who with her two sisters was whisked out of Cuba by
their father in 1960, said she has makes no apologies for the
strong feelings that Cuban-Americans display about Cuba.
"We're very passionate about our beliefs and are very
outspoken," she said. "We fight for what we believe in."
For her part, Ivonne Crucet, owner of Crucet Travel, said she
was willing to close down her agency for the day even though it
would be a hardship.
"It will affect us financially because the industry is hurting,
but it's a sacrifice we must make."
Crucet, who is a director of a Cuban-American women's group
called Mothers Against Repression, and wear black mourning dresses
at protests, said that she and about 100 other members of the group
participated in a silent protest at the Federal Building in
downtown Miami on Monday, Feb. 24.
"We feel this [the federal seizure] was a case of child abuse by
the federal authorities," she said.
Other agents, particularly non-Cubans, were more ambivalent
about the seizure of the child. Doris Green, president of the South
Florida Chapter of ASTA, described her shifting emotions.
"It's an extremely emotional situation," she said. "I was
personally 100% for his staying here because of the way he arrived
here. But after the situation lingered on, I began to change my
mind. Now, I'm very unhappy about what happened Saturday
morning."
Jan Hammond, vice president of the South Florida ASTA chapter,
said she understood "that Cubans feel strongly because they've come
here for freedom." However, Hammond added that she was "tired of
[Elian's relatives] stalling and not responding to what the
government was trying to do for both sides.
"When they wouldn't turn the boy over, the government had no
choice but to go in there and take him."
Taking precautions to maintain service
Meanwhile, members of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel
Association were planning to make schedule and shift changes to
maintain services during a citywide work stoppage.
"Everybody is prepared to keep services going," said Stuart
Blumberg, the association's president.
A Miami airport official said that many Cuban employees reported
to work "because the airport is an essential service." He said no
more than minimal delays were experienced or expected.
Carnival Cruise Lines said that it advised all employees that
they were free to request Tuesday off through normal time-off
procedures -- but that the line did not anticipate any disruptions
of normal business.
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau said the
events have thus far had no measurable impact on travel here.
Blumberg said hotels have not reported any downturn in business,
and the Loews Hotel on Miami Beach reported there have been no
cancellations at that property.