BY SANDRA MARQUEZ GARCIA, ANDREA ELLIOTT AND MARTIN MERZER

 If Attorney General Janet Reno hoped to cool passions and quench tensions
 swirling around Elian Gonzalez, her strategy backfired Thursday. If anything,
 Reno's actions appeared to toss the custody battle back to its most volatile and
 emotionally wrenching phase.

 The crowd of protesters outside the boy's Little Havana refuge mushroomed from
 a few dozen in recent days into thousands Thursday. Spanish-language radio
 commentators continually primed the pump. Singer Gloria Estefan, actor Andy
 Garcia and many other Cuban American celebrities arrived to lend their support.

 ``Why are they pressuring this family to betray the trust of a child and not
 pressuring the father, who is in this country, to come here?'' Estefan asked in an
 impassioned speech that questioned the federal government's position in the case
 and brought cheers from those who had gathered near the family's home.

 Estefan urged peace, but also called for continued demonstrations.

 ``We want no violence,'' she said. ``We are a peaceful community. We're asking
 all Cuban-Americans to continue protesting as they have done so far, in a
 respectful manner, and not be carried away into violence or civil disobedience.''

 VOICE CHOKED

 Garcia's voice choked and he nearly lost his composure as he told demonstrators
 that Elian should be allowed ``to enjoy the freedom we all enjoy.''

 ``He won't have any freedom in Cuba,'' the actor said.

 At one point, the crowd grew silent and then sang along as jazz trumpeter Arturo
 Sandoval pulled out a trumpet and played the American and Cuban national
 anthems.

 The events showed just how badly Reno's mediation effort had failed to calm
 tensions surrounding the struggle over the boy.

 ``By setting the strict deadline for the custody transfer, Reno launched the Cuban
 community into crisis mode,'' said Angel Valdes, 44, a social worker from
 northwest Miami-Dade, who brought his wife and two daughters to the
 demonstration. ``She tried to appease us, but we feel really burned.''

 The morning dawned with about 100 demonstrators present. But throughout the
 day, the crowd thickened, energized by people who had not previously
 participated in the protest -- well-dressed bankers clutching cell phones,
 uniformed dental hygienists, suburban mothers pushing baby strollers.

 And celebrities, lots of Cuban American celebrities, including musician Albita,
 singer Willy Chirino and Sandoval.

 ``Normally, celebrities try to show that politics are one thing and art is another,''
 Albita said. ``In this case, the liberty of a boy is at stake.''

 SING-A-LONG

 Chirino, the popular Cuban exile singer, held hands with the crowd during a
 sing-a-long.

 ``The celebrity status helps to get our reality known throughout the world,'' he
 said. ``Elian, like anybody else, deserves to be heard in a court of law.''

 By midday, thousands of others flocked to Northwest Second Street to exercise
 their rights of assembly and free speech, mark a pivotal phase of the crisis and
 attempt to block -- or at least complicate -- the expected arrival of federal agents.

 Police officers chained barricades together and deployed throughout the area as
 some demonstrators gathered in nearby intersections and on a street behind the
 house -- possible access points for federal authorities.

 In some cases, companies closed their doors and suggested that employees
 reconvene near the white, single-story house that has been Elian's home for
 nearly five months.

 Fifty workers from a Target department store in Hialeah said they were given paid
 leave for the day.

 ``We all got together and decided to come,'' said Agustin Rodriguez, 47.

 Most demonstrators remained peaceful, in word and deed. Some uttered
 inflammatory remarks or carried provocative signs.

 CALM URGED

 Throughout the day, Elian's great-uncle, Lazaro Gonzalez, and local political
 leaders urged the crowd to remain peaceful.

 Speaking live to a worldwide audience watching on CNN, Miami-Dade Mayor Alex
 Penelas also shared the Cuban-American perspective:

 ``What you see here in the faces of these people . . . is over 41 years of
 persecution, over 41 years of having our loved ones losing their lives searching for
 freedom. These are real family emotions, not just a drama for the world to see.
 This is real. This is real pain.''

 Hours later -- after it became clear the government would not take immediate
 action to reunite Elian with his father -- protesters claimed victory, at least for
 now.

 But they remained unimpressed with the efforts of the attorney general.

 Said Elizabeth Betancourt, 18: ``She didn't calm things down.''

 Herald staff writers Tyler Bridges and Ivette Yee, Herald writer Eunice Ponce, and
 staff translator Renato Perez contributed to this report.

                     Copyright 2000 Miami Herald