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Protests near Masters complicate busy week
Posted: Sunday April 06, 2003 12:12 AM
Updated: Sunday April 06, 2003 1:25 AM
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Approved protest sites. Staff/AugustaChronicle |
By Heidi Coryell Williams
The Augusta Chronicle
Get ready.
The week usually reserved for golfing in Augusta also has been set aside for grousing. Beginning today, protesters will join golf fans in gearing up for this year's Masters Tournament.
Local law enforcement agencies will increase their presence, too.
In addition to policing heavily congested streets surrounding Augusta National Golf Club, more than 100 law enforcement officers will police a 5.1-acre site on Washington Road, which has been set aside for demonstrations during Masters Week.
Various protests are spread throughout the week, but the heaviest day for demonstration activity will be Saturday. Law enforcement from Augusta, neighboring Columbia County and the Georgia State Patrol will monitor seven groups with more than 1,000 protesters who have approval to demonstrate at the Washington Road site, said Col. Gary Powell, of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
Officers at the site will be equipped with riot gear, though they aren't expected to be wearing it. Three jail vehicles - a bus and two vans - will be used as holding areas if violence erupts.
A mobile command unit - virtually a sheriff's office on wheels - will be in the city on loan from Columbia County.
Police will videotape protest activity so there will be a recorded account if any problems occur. Hidden cameras also will be in the area, Col. Powell said.
"Should the need arise, we'll be ready," he said.
There may not be a need for much action by police. Some groups, including the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and the National Council of Women's Organizations, have said they plan to scale back protests because of the war in Iraq. They have declined to provide specific numbers, and they are challenging the protest site in U.S. District Court, contending it is too far from Augusta National.
A group of nearly 200 protesters, the People Against Ridiculous Protests, has said it does not plan to show up at all.
Golfers for a Real Cause, a group of golf pros who planned to protest Martha Burk on Saturday, originally expected to have as many as 100 protesters. Now it plans to have only between five and 10.
"We're kind of toning it down a bit," said Ronald Pontiff, the group's founder. "With all the concerns in the country, my concerns are not with Martha Burk."
Savannah West Apartments resident Sylvia Horton says she is worried about being able to get in and out of her complex, which sits directly behind the protest site.
"Washington Road is very busy on any given day," she said. "It's treacherous getting in and out. But to imagine when the Masters is here, and to think of 300 more ... I'm concerned."
Traffic engineers say they will rely on sheriff's deputies to let them know about traffic flow around the area. Last year, more than 16,000 vehicles drove past the course on Saturday of Masters Week, said Steve Henry, an engineering technician in the city's traffic department.
"We always look forward to the final cut on Sunday," said sheriff's Maj. Larry Vinson, who heads the city's road patrol division. "This year, we'll be looking forward to that more than any other year."
Reach Heidi Coryell Williams at heidi.williams@augustachronicle.com .
Copyright 2003 The Augusta Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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