BY ANA ACLE, ANABELLE de GALE AND MARTIN MERZER

 The family of young Elian Gonzalez appealed for calm Friday. Police called for
 restraint. Demonstrators largely honored both pleas. Only a few protests flared in
 Miami-Dade County, and some activists hinted that a moratorium on all protests
 could begin today.

 Early in the day, with a deadline to return Elian to his father in Cuba just a week
 away, some exile leaders vowed to escalate the unrest today and next week. The
 most ominous threat: a plan to choke Miami International Airport with traffic
 Monday.

 But by Friday night, news that a congressional subpoena might delay Elian's
 departure cast some doubt on those plans.

 ``I think we should turn off the heat,'' said Jose Basulto, founder of Brothers to the
 Rescue, a prominent exile group.

 A rally in Little Havana was scheduled for noon today, but Basulto suggested that
 it could be canceled.

 Friday's largest demonstration boiled up at Flagler Street and Northwest 57th
 Avenue scene of a tear gas response by police a night earlier. Hundreds of people
 gathered there as 60 officers wearing riot helmets and carrying batons struggled
 to keep the intersection open.

 At times, the atmosphere seemed festive, with children running through the crowd
 and people snacking on arepas from Palacio de los Jugos, the famed Juice
 Palace that sits on the intersection.

 At times, the mood turned darker, as the crowd ebbed and flowed. Police arrested
 at least 10 people, including a man accused of trying to run down two officers.

 Still . . .

 ``Although a lot more people are here, they are a lot more obedient,'' said Det.
 Delrish Moss, a Miami Police spokesman. ``This is more what a peaceful protest
 is all about.''

 Cecilia Horta brought her three young children, ages 4, 5 and 7. The family
 identified strongly with Elian, who is 6. ``We'll keep coming out here until the boy
 stays,'' Horta said.

 To the west, about 50 protesters and an equal number of police faced off at
 Flagler and 67th Avenue. Many people, lured by broadcasts on El Zol 95.7 FM
 and Clasica 92.3 FM, chanted Libertad and -- like matadors enticing bulls --
 waved Cuban flags in front of oncoming traffic.

 Demonstrators also assembled again in Miami's courthouse district, but they
 remained small in number and contained in the prescribed protest site.

 At times, the scene seemed cinematic.

 Police officers in riot gear and others on horseback held strategic positions, but
 the crowd seemed more interested in bantering with officers than challenging
 them. Cigarette and cigar smoke spiced the air. Traffic crawled along Flagler,
 horns blaring rhythmic support. Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep.
 Beep-beep-beep.

 ``We don't want to keep the boy from his father,'' said Demi Gavilan, 45, who said
 she is the daughter of famous Cuban boxer Kid Gavilan. ``All we want is to make
 sure that his father is speaking freely.''

 TRUCKERS STOPPED

 Authorities quickly sidelined eight truckers who attempted to slow evening
 rush-hour traffic on the Palmetto Expressway. Other small protests blossomed,
 but they withered rapidly.

 Much of the county bristled with authority. Heavy concentrations of officers were
 posted in Miami's business district, at the Port of Miami, at the toll plaza on State
 Road 836, along the Palmetto Expressway and at Miami International Airport.

 Miami-Dade Aviation Director Gary Dellapa said the airport would operate its
 normal flight schedule Monday, even if demonstrators showed up. Flights would
 not be diverted, he said.

 He cautioned, however, that police may not be able to prevent motorists from
 driving slowly around the U-shaped terminal complex.

 ``We'll have police out there and tow trucks and be ready for any contingency,''
 Dellapa said. ``It's a public thoroughfare. As long as they don't stop and create a
 lot of congestion, we'll have to just do best we can.''

 At the same time, authorities announced a zero-tolerance policy for traffic
 disruptions.

 ``We are not going to give any warnings,'' said Lt. Ernesto Duarte of the Florida
 Highway Patrol. ``We are going to seize the vehicle and arrest the people.''

 Which is precisely what they did Friday evening on the Palmetto. Seven dump
 trucks moved in a slow, horizontal convoy, blocking all southbound lanes of the
 highway at Northwest 58th Street. Troopers swooped in, commandeered the
 trucks and arrested the drivers and one passenger.

 About 200 miles away in Orlando, nearly 100 Cuban exiles conducted a Friday
 night demonstration in front of the federal courthouse.

 ``It is horrendous when a mother gives up her life to bring [Elian] here and we are
 going to send him back to a communist country,'' said Bob Castro, a leader of
 that city's 15,000-member Cuban American community.

 Meanwhile, Miami Police spokesman William Schwartz blamed some of
 Thursday's widespread disorder on ``hoodlums'' and ``gang members'' who
 allegedly infiltrated and influenced the crowds.

 ``We have gone from a demonstration to civil disobedience to civil disturbance,''
 Schwartz said. ``It's the hoodlums who are mixing with the crowds. They drive
 around the block again and again just to have a party.''

 Early Friday, police employed tear gas to disperse crowds that demonstrated for
 hours at Flagler and 57th.

 Schwartz also visited Elian's relatives in their Little Havana home and asked them
 to intervene with demonstrators. Family spokesman Armando Gutierrez issued a
 statement blaming much of the unrest on pro-Castro provocateurs and urging
 protesters to cooperate with police.

 ``With our gratitude, we are also making a call for calm to govern the spontaneity
 of the demonstration that everyone, without distinction of nationality, is
 conducting,'' the family said.

 ``Let us recognize that the tentacles of the monster that tyrannizes the Cuban
 fatherland does not know barriers. We have to remain alert, making sure that
 every attempt at agitation that Havana tries to introduce will be in vain.''

 DOWNTOWN PROTEST

 In downtown Miami, a modest demonstration simmered throughout the day at the
 corner of Flagler and Northwest First Avenue.

 About 60 people milled around, engaging in rolling debates, joining in brief bursts
 of chanting. ``¡Libertad! ¡Libertad!'' And then, ``Clinton, Fidel. Husband and Wife.''

 Media trucks jockeyed for position, finally parking, then slowly elevating masts
 glistening with cameras and satellite dishes.

 At one point, a plane circled overhead trailing a banner: Elementos Sin
 Escrúpulos -- Respeten Derecho del Padre. Unscrupulous elements -- respect the
 rights of the father. The crowd ignored the provocation.

 Nearby, an abandoned protest sign leaned against a concrete Metrorail support
 pole.

 It said: ``Freedom, Justice and Equality for All of God's People.''

 Herald staff writers Alfonso Chardy, Elaine de Valle, Mireidy Fernandez, Jasmine
 Kripalani, Phil Long, Eunice Ponce and Joseph Tanfani contributed to this report.
 

                     Copyright 2000 Miami Herald