Miami police reneged on their promise to give safe passage to 25 busloads of seniors who attempted to attend Thursday's AFL-CIO rally against the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the leader of a retired union workers group charged Tuesday.

Tony Fansetta, president of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, said 13 of the busloads were turned away and many of the others were diverted, forcing senior citizens to walk up to two miles to attend the permitted rally at Bayfront Amphitheater.

Only five buses were allowed into the previously arranged drop-off point next to Bayside Marketplace, according to union officials.

''It is despicable when in good faith you have what is referred to as the greatest generation -- and I'm a Korean War veteran myself -- come down here in good faith and jump through every hoop the city of Miami asked us to jump through,'' Fansetta said.

Calling Miami Police Chief John Timoney a ''junkyard dog'' in charge of a department that violated senior citizens' rights, he said the retired union workers had negotiated with police for months to ensure smooth entry into the protest area.

Every bus had a placard on the front windshield with the name: Florida Alliance for Retired Americans. The name and phone number of every person on each bus had been given to police in advance, he said.

''I'm speaking right now to Manuel Diaz, the mayor of Miami, and Alex Penelas, Miami-Dade mayor,'' he continued. ``You had the responsibility for this junkyard dog that you brought in here by the name of Timoney. You cannot have a dog in your yard acting like they did and not yourself accept accountability. And that's what this is going to be about. You cannot treat the greatest generation this way and not expect to be held accountable.''

Timoney does not work for Penelas, but Penelas' chief of staff, Javier Alberto Soto, said the mayor believes all 40 police agencies involved in FTAA security did their jobs in ''exemplary'' fashion.

Diaz did not respond to requests for comment.

TIMONEY'S LETTER

In a letter e-mailed to the media Tuesday, Timoney said Miami police tried their best to accommodate the AFL-CIO.

''Throughout the months of negotiation, the police department was clear that all plans were subject to change should the police be confronted with violence during the actual summit week,'' the letter said.

Timoney said it was the union's insistence on opening the rally and march to nonunion demonstrators intent on violence that triggered a series of events resulting in police-protester clashes and traffic jams.

''The Miami Police Department and its law enforcement partners, in training for the FTAA, placed primary emphasis on avoiding the use of force,'' the letter said. ``This goal was impossible to achieve due to the violent actions of unaffiliated protesters using labor events and membership as cover.''

AFL-CIO officials also produced a letter, signed by Maj. Thomas Roelle, the FTAA incident commander for Timoney, outlining the agreement between the union and the police for shuttling buses of protesters into the area.

The letter -- on city of Miami stationery and dated Oct. 30, 2003 -- says Biscayne Boulevard would be closed during the protests, but ``buses will be permitted to drop off and pick up AFL-CIO event participants.''

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

Tuesday's news conference also included detailed descriptions of some participants in the protests. Larry Winawer, 34, state organizer for the retired union workers, offered his account of being arrested alongside 71-year-old Bentley Killmon, a retiree who had come to protest.

Both were held for 7 ½ hours without being able to use the bathroom or drink anything, he said.

They were jailed overnight, Winawer said.

Another protester, Hani Lipp, who runs a retiree program for Unite, a garment workers union, said she was escorting about two dozen people in their 80s and 90s to the rally.

Diverted from their planned drop-off point, they had to walk four blocks to the rally and five blocks back.

''It was a tough day and the city has got to be made accountable,'' she said.

Fansetta seconded a call made by the United Steelworkers of America on Monday for a congressional investigation into police behavior during the FTAA protests. The group's lawyer, Michael Feiler, said he plans to file a civil rights violation lawsuit.

''You had the opportunity to make our beautiful city a shining star in the eyes of the country and instead your department looks like a bunch of storm troopers,'' Feiler said, directing his comments to Diaz and Timoney.

LIKELY LAWSUITS

If the retired union workers do file suit, it's unlikely to be the only one.

Deborah Dion, AFL-CIO spokeswoman, said that union also is considering legal action.

Timoney, in his five-page letter to local AFL-CIO leader Fred Frost, said the department is undertaking a ''comprehensive review of the entire FTAA security operation'' and will produce a public report.

He asked Frost to examine his own organization's ''failed attempts to appease'' those who use violence during protests.

''I very much regret every occasion when police have to resort to force to overcome a violent attack,'' Timoney concluded. ``This is particularly true when the organized attack is mounted from within a group of law-abiding citizens.''

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