From the Independent Florida Alligator

Joey Flechas

Alligator Staff Writer

As a media hailstorm descended upon Gainesville to cover the planned actions of the Dove World Outreach Center over the past few days, Saturday’s Quran burning seesawed Thursday from going on as planned, to cancellation and ultimately to suspension.

Major media outlets were reporting Thursday night that the church was going to wait 24 hours before making a decision about the Quran burning.

According to reports, Associate Pastor Wayne Sapp said the church was waiting to confirm a meeting in New York City between Terry Jones, pastor of the church, and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Muslim leader heading the the plans to build an Islamic center near ground zero.

The event had been canceled Thursday afternoon, with Jones announcing he had been assured by Rauf that the Islamic center would be moved farther away from ground zero.

The announcement was soon after refuted by Rauf and Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, after which Jones publicly stated he was lied to and he was reconsidering the burning.

With uncertainty looming over the burning, law enforcement officials have not changed plans for increased security.

“As it stands right now, we are still operating as normal,” said Gainesville Police Department spokeswoman Cpl. Tscharna Senn Thursday evening.

GPD Staff Specialist Sharon Wooding said the department has been working for weeks to prepare a security plan.

“Preparations have been under way for more than a month with numerous state and federal agencies in collaboration to ensure the safety of citizens of Alachua County,” she said.

Some of those precautions include setting up a driver’s license checkpoint on 37th Street from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. near the church for northbound traffic and having an increased police presence at the church and at the football game.

The university posted a message on its website Wednesday evening assuring students and parents that there have been no threats against the university.

Steve McClain, a spokesman for the University Athletic Association, reiterated the university’s message and said the university’s plans for heightened security have not changed.

As for students attending Saturday’s game against the University of South Florida Bulls, he said students should try to arrive to the gates early, pay attention to their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.

As psychology sophomore Allie McDaniel stood in line to pick up her ticket to the game Thursday just before the ticket office’s closing, she was somewhat worried but resilient.

“I’m not going to let this crazy guy ruin my good time.”

Linda Dinkova

Alligator Contributing Writer

When Pastor Terry Jones announced Thursday he would suspend the Quran burning, journalists who came to Gainesville from around the country became uncertain about their plans for the next two days.

After the announcement, anchors, reporters and photographers remained outside the church waiting to see what would happen next.

“We are grateful, but it’s still touchy because of so many issues,” said Debbie Huntting, an NBC freelancer who is based in Orlando. “I think there will be a long time before this issue is resolved. I am still holding on and staying.”

Steve Berrios from First Coast News in Jacksonville said the TV station also plans to remain in Gainesville at least through Saturday, despite the suspension.

Other reporters awaited orders from their headquarters on how to proceed.Videographer Matt James from WJXT, a TV station in Jacksonville, said the station’s crew of six would also most likely remain through Saturday.

“We always have to be ready because he gives like a five minute warning before he comes out and talks,” James said of Jones.

Chief photographer for Agence France-Presse, Paul Richards, said he expects a Quran-burning cancellation.

“I don’t know the guy [and I haven’t] studied any of his stuff, but I am guessing he will go right up to the eleventh hour and have a vision and decide not to do it,” Richards said.

Despite the media circus, residents of the neighborhood across from the church were still going through their daily routines.

As they pulled into their driveways after work, some expressed concern about all the media attention Jones is getting.

“The man has a congregation of 50, and they are giving him the attention that Billy Graham wouldn’t get,” said Kathleen Stipek, a librarian at the Gainesville Public Library.

Her next-door neighbor Michelle Rucks said she is considering spending the weekend somewhere else because she is frightened for her safety and the safety of her 8-year-old daughter.

“I can’t even walk my daughter down the street because she asks me questions about some of the signs he has put up,” she said. “Something’s wrong with them.”

As reporters struggled to meet their deadlines, they remained outside the Dove World Outreach Center on Thursday night waiting for events to unfold — whether they be Jones’ next speech or further orders from their headquarters.