Post by Master-9 on Jun 8, 2004 6:16:28 GMT -5
Traffic, protesters quiet on day before G-8 summit
By Wayne Crenshaw
Telegraph Staff Writer
ST. SIMONS ISLAND - Franklin and Rebecca Snow had reservations about making their first visit to St. Simons Island during the G-8 summit, but the Snellville residents were happy with their decision as they relaxed on a street bench Monday.
Getting on the island took no time at all, traffic was light, and if there's no trouble related to the summit, they just might be in the safest spot in Georgia.
"You can't go anywhere and not be within sight of a law enforcement officer," Franklin Snow said.
With many island residents departed for the week and vacationers avoiding the area, a continuous flow of patrol cars and military vehicles made up a significant portion of island traffic the day before the summit talks begin on nearby Sea Island.
About the only people inconvenienced were commercial truck drivers, who had to take a separate route to get onto the island and pass through a stringent security check. UPS driver Richard Edgy said it took him about an hour and half to get through the check. Officers used bomb-sniffing dogs and X-ray equipment to check his cargo.
But he wasn't complaining too much. Once he got on the island, getting around was much easier compared to a typical week in June.
"The traffic is not bad at all," he said. "I was expecting it to be a lot worse."
Island residents had feared major traffic congestion, not to mention unruly protesters, but both concerns were eased Monday.
Lynn Crank, who works at an outdoor produce stand, said she felt "100 percent better" after seeing how things were going Monday, even though her business was way down.
"I was literally having nightmares a week ago," she said. "Now I'm glad to be up here and see history in the making."
Like with many businesses, a large portion of her customers were law enforcement officers and military personnel. Officers manning monitoring points along roads were buying watermelons and other produce to snack on.
"I really feel protected," she said.
Concerns about wild protesters were so high that most of the 500 bales of pine straw normally kept at the produce stand were removed out of fear that protesters could set the straw on fire.
But there were no signs of unruly protesters Monday. The only organized demonstration was at Neptune Park near the pier, and it mostly consisted of a few people having a low country boil.
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Day celebrated the fading Gullah and Geechee island cultures.
The group included Green Party members, as well as supporters of Nuwaubian leader Malachi York, who was convicted in January in Brunswick on charges of child molestation. Supporters handed out fliers proclaiming his innocence.
Zack Lyde, a Brunswick resident who organized the event, said the group's purpose was to bring attention to what he said was injustice to blacks, including the conviction of York.
"We are trying to get across the fact that we exist as a people," he said. "We want the president of the United States to know that we exist."
The group did not carry picket signs, and until Lyde took a microphone to speak, the event looked like an ordinary cookout in the park.
Police had said it could take as long as an hour to get onto St. Simons Island, but for most of the day, non-commercial traffic hardly backed up at all at the security checkpoint. Motorists simply stopped and officers glanced quickly inside the cars, then waived the vehicles through. Later in the day, traffic backed up some at the checkpoint, but the wait was still just a few minutes.
Today world leaders, including President George Bush, will meet on Sea Island to begin the three-day summit. Bush flew into the Hunter Army Airfield on Sunday night, then traveled by helicopter to the island.
Protests may kick into a higher gear today with an antiwar march scheduled in downtown Brunswick.
Brunswick had one early scare Sunday evening when a bomb-sniffing dog alerted officers to a package at the post office. Law enforcement officers sealed off streets around the post office, but the package was discovered to be harmless.
By Wayne Crenshaw
Telegraph Staff Writer
ST. SIMONS ISLAND - Franklin and Rebecca Snow had reservations about making their first visit to St. Simons Island during the G-8 summit, but the Snellville residents were happy with their decision as they relaxed on a street bench Monday.
Getting on the island took no time at all, traffic was light, and if there's no trouble related to the summit, they just might be in the safest spot in Georgia.
"You can't go anywhere and not be within sight of a law enforcement officer," Franklin Snow said.
With many island residents departed for the week and vacationers avoiding the area, a continuous flow of patrol cars and military vehicles made up a significant portion of island traffic the day before the summit talks begin on nearby Sea Island.
About the only people inconvenienced were commercial truck drivers, who had to take a separate route to get onto the island and pass through a stringent security check. UPS driver Richard Edgy said it took him about an hour and half to get through the check. Officers used bomb-sniffing dogs and X-ray equipment to check his cargo.
But he wasn't complaining too much. Once he got on the island, getting around was much easier compared to a typical week in June.
"The traffic is not bad at all," he said. "I was expecting it to be a lot worse."
Island residents had feared major traffic congestion, not to mention unruly protesters, but both concerns were eased Monday.
Lynn Crank, who works at an outdoor produce stand, said she felt "100 percent better" after seeing how things were going Monday, even though her business was way down.
"I was literally having nightmares a week ago," she said. "Now I'm glad to be up here and see history in the making."
Like with many businesses, a large portion of her customers were law enforcement officers and military personnel. Officers manning monitoring points along roads were buying watermelons and other produce to snack on.
"I really feel protected," she said.
Concerns about wild protesters were so high that most of the 500 bales of pine straw normally kept at the produce stand were removed out of fear that protesters could set the straw on fire.
But there were no signs of unruly protesters Monday. The only organized demonstration was at Neptune Park near the pier, and it mostly consisted of a few people having a low country boil.
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Day celebrated the fading Gullah and Geechee island cultures.
The group included Green Party members, as well as supporters of Nuwaubian leader Malachi York, who was convicted in January in Brunswick on charges of child molestation. Supporters handed out fliers proclaiming his innocence.
Zack Lyde, a Brunswick resident who organized the event, said the group's purpose was to bring attention to what he said was injustice to blacks, including the conviction of York.
"We are trying to get across the fact that we exist as a people," he said. "We want the president of the United States to know that we exist."
The group did not carry picket signs, and until Lyde took a microphone to speak, the event looked like an ordinary cookout in the park.
Police had said it could take as long as an hour to get onto St. Simons Island, but for most of the day, non-commercial traffic hardly backed up at all at the security checkpoint. Motorists simply stopped and officers glanced quickly inside the cars, then waived the vehicles through. Later in the day, traffic backed up some at the checkpoint, but the wait was still just a few minutes.
Today world leaders, including President George Bush, will meet on Sea Island to begin the three-day summit. Bush flew into the Hunter Army Airfield on Sunday night, then traveled by helicopter to the island.
Protests may kick into a higher gear today with an antiwar march scheduled in downtown Brunswick.
Brunswick had one early scare Sunday evening when a bomb-sniffing dog alerted officers to a package at the post office. Law enforcement officers sealed off streets around the post office, but the package was discovered to be harmless.
