Anti-Tax Advocates Swarm Ga. Capitol

ATLANTA -- Hours before Atlanta's tax day tea party protest started Wednesday evening, hundreds of demonstrators began showing up at Georgia's State Capitol.

Atlanta police said no arrests were made. Gordy Wright,
spokesman for the Georgia Department of Public Safety, estimated the crowd at 15,000.

Just one of hundreds being held across the country, Atlanta's tea party was expected to be one of the biggest because conservative TV personality Sean Hannity used it as the backdrop for his Wednesday night show on Fox News Network.

While Hannity gave it a huge boost, grass roots planning for Atlanta's big event began months ago after an earlier February 27th tea party that drew 250 to 300 to the Capitol steps in the pouring rain with only one week's planning.

Enjoying much better weather, a small army of technicians began setting up the stage for Wednesday evening's event early in the morning...sound checks, light checks and a caravan of TV trucks with satellite dishes and generators.

Scores of demonstrators began arriving at the Capitol by mid day, many traveling a long way to be here.

The Neal family came all the way from Boston with their granddaughter for what they believe is a growing surge against out of control government spending.

"This is crazy," Isabel Salvador Neal told 11 Alive News, "the spending that's going on now. I've never seen what's happened in three months to our country and it scares me to death."

Al and Vickie Slabbaert drove 900 miles from Houston for the huge Atlanta tea party for the same reason.

"It's alright to spend money, but you have to have a purpose and a good purpose," says Al Slabbaert, "and wasteful spending is not good."

Most in attendance were conservatives, but not all looked like it at first glance.

Amber Bracewell of Perry says don't let her pink hair, leopard skin tattoos and body piercing fool you about her politics.

"I mean, I look like your, you know, run of the mill, average conservative," she says jokingly, adding, "but you'd be surprised. A lot of people from my generation are not going to be fooled."

Although they did take part in the tax protest, some Georgia Libertarians said they have no use for Sean Hannity, who they call a Republican "lackey", for either the Republican or Democratic Parties.

"I'm no fan of Barack Obama by any means," said Libertarian Christopher Barber, "but Bush grew government. The entrenched Republicans grow government."

Police agencies shut off several streets around the Gold Dome from 6:30 pm until around 11 pm.