Policemen were stationed for hours yesterday on the road outside Ed and Elaine Brown's house in Plainfield, where a large party was being held to benefit the convicted tax protestors. But the officers said they wouldn't, under any circumstances, enter the property if an emergency occurred.

"We don't go to (Ed) Brown's house. We don't deal with Browns. Not at all," said Plainfield Police Chief Gordon Gillens. "That's an illegal gathering, and it's not a safe situation for anybody to really go to, and the people who go there have to realize that. . . . We can't say it's safe for anybody to go there. We will not send emergency vehicles into this area, no matter what."

The Browns didn't apply for a town permit for yesterday's gathering, a "jamboree" that featured live bands and was organized by the We the People Radio Network, which requested donations to cover the cost of the event. The goal, according to an invitation on the network's website, was to help "save Ed and Elaine Brown," who for months have been holed up in their fortress-like home on Center of Town Road. The Browns were convicted in January of multiple federal felonies related to their refusal to pay income taxes for nearly 10 years, but they maintain no law exists that requires them to pay.

While the invitation to yesterday's party welcomed "all freedom loving people and honest media," two men directing the traffic at the end of the Browns' driveway said reporters weren't allowed and denied access to the Monitor. Plainfield police said they were there to make sure none of the partygoers blocked town roads.

By mid-afternoon, cars, many with out-of-state license plates, had clogged the Browns' nearly half-mile-long driveway, and one Brown supporter estimated more than 140 people were at the event. A tent was set up next to the house for the bands, and supporters - some wearing shirts supporting Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul - milled in the yard and driveway. Randy Weaver, survivor of the 1992 Ruby Ridge shootout who came to Plainfield last month to hold a press conference with the Browns, was expected to attend.

The Browns may be drawing supporters from across the country, but in Plainfield, the frustration is building. Sgt. Lawrence Dore said yesterday the town's police had received complaints about the couple - "none that I want to name, but residents aren't happy." Others in the town said they were sick of seeing the Browns on TV and in newspapers.

"I just think it's a really big pain in the butt. They've done something wrong, and they need to pay for it. I'm tired of it," said Darshana Griggs, who works at the Edgewater Farm Stand in Plainfield.

"We're all tired of it," said Judy Ptak, who also works at the farm stand.

"I just think it's ridiculous our police are spending all this time" on the Browns. "They're not available to do other things, because they're monitoring that."

That's what bothers Doug Curtis, too.

"All the time and money they're wasting," he said, referring to last month, when U.S. Marshals brought armored cars and SWAT teams in what they said were precautions to accompany the seizure of Elaine Brown's dental property in West Lebanon. "Jesus Christ, even the Marines don't have that kind of stuff. If they're going to get them, get them. Or leave them alone."

The uncertainty surrounding the Browns' situation has made Plainfield residents nervous, several people said. Griggs called it "paranoia."

"I don't want my friends to think there are going to be grenades in my backyard," Griggs said, "just because I live in the same town as the Browns."

For Phyllis Aldrich, who lives about half a mile from the Browns on Center of Town Road, the couple's case is "a sad situation."

"It's a no-win situation. We like both of them, so I don't know," she said. "Hopefully things will be okay. I hope everything comes out all right with no bloodshed. It's nerve-wracking in a way, and you wish it was solved, but what can you do?"

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