News-Pilot from San Pedro, California • 3

San Pedro CaMomta News-Pilot Mon May 26 1986 A3 Millions From Page A1 the world Organizers had said they needed inore than 5 million people to form the chain and hoped to raise $50 million or more for the hungry and the homeless Despite frantic work up to the final minute not all the gaps were closed by 3 pm EDT when the line formed Based on estimates provided by local organizers at least 49 million people participated Sunday Marty Rogol the executive director for USA for Africa the parent foundation for Hands Across America declined to estimate how much money was raised or how many people participated It may take as long as most of the summer he said in Los Angeles New Jersey organizers said 200000 people 80000 more than needed completed the states 88-mile line Kentucky organizers claimed they filled their 52-mile segment Illinois at one point reported a solid 65 miles of people in one stretch but later retracted the claim and the 12-mile link through Manhattan was nine-deep in some places In the California desert gaps as long as five miles were seen Dennis Walto operations director for New Mexico said the turnout of 238000 people including some from out of state amounted to 17 percent of the states population There were gaps he said but none longer than a mile There were no reports of injuries or other incidents in the line The route was marked balloons flags and clanging church bells Wed- to contribute $10 or more with T-shirts and visors offered for larger donations but in the final days organizers simply urged people to show up and contribute later In Philadelphia about 30 members of United American Indians of Delaware Valley were in line in front of the Liberty Bell in full costume and about as many handicapped children one dressed as Uncle Sam and another as the Statue of Liberty were in wheelchairs in the line at Arcadia Ind Cincinnati Reds outfielder Dave Parker and five Pirates players held hands with hundreds of Little Leaguers before the Reds-Pirates game in Pittsburgh The actual line cut through the grandstands later in the day but Reds player-manager Pete Rose a national Hands chairman balked at interrupting the game to let the line cross the field as originally planned As the line stretched from Indianapolis past growing corn smiles were mixed with tears My mothers in New Jersey squeeze her hand shouted Joe DiEduardo 46 one of the local organizers May Elber in Culver City said she had to ring 15 times to reach directory information Youll have to excuse us the operator said We were holding Hands Across America for a minute Motorists who were held up at intersections blocked for the line in Los Angeles jumped out of their cars to hold hands said KNX radio reporter Donna Dower the Hands Across America line at Hawthorne Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance Reports from around the nation said nearly 5 million people took part in the event A motorcyclist joins the intersection of dings and even a couple of killer whales and a penguin contributed to a party atmosphere At the White House a casually luck Reagan said in his weekly radio broadcast Saturday I can wish you nothing finer than the satisfaction of knowing that you have given of yourselves to help others Originally everyone who planned to stand in line was asked dressed President Reagan stood in line with his wife and members of his staff To all those participating good Hands Police search ship for bomb I think its really not fair for the poor people of the world During the Depression they had Hoovertowns where people congregated but now they dont allow them to have places said Dorothy Cusimano 62 of Hawthorne Ive seen people in Washington DC sleeping on top of ventilators Its really sad Kristi Bevans 15 of Santa Ana took a short break from applying purple eyeshadow and giggling at boys on bicycles to say Were trying to raise money for the people who need it A yell went up at noon when hands clasped across Hawthorne Boulevard but the enthusiasm faltered as it became clear nobody was going to organize the Contributing to this report were staff writers Alan Janson Gale Holland and Robert Knowles Its OK I guess said 25-year-old Willie Rogers as he asked for money from those leaving the hour-long event Carrick said he was still receiving final reports from around the state but said indications pointed to a solid line in most areas of California They were four-deep on Sunset (Boulevard) in Hollywood said Carrick who headed the states headquarters on the street My own staff couldnt even get to the sidewalk Hand-in-hand and paw-in-paw Hands Across America stretched up Main Street USA to Sleeping Beautys Castle as Mickey Mouse and more than 1300 people made Disneyland a giant link in the cross-country chain Sen Alan Cranston D-Calif held hands with actress Bo Derek in the 100-degree heat at Blythe along the California-Arizona border They were joined by actress Shelly Duvall and actor Anson Williams We had 10000 in Blythe to participate Carrick said I heard the city only has a population of 7200 according to the last official census At Desert Center 155 miles east of Los Angeles a half-mile human chain formed in the searing heat as three members of the rock band REO Speed-wagon and their families joined others to narrow the gaps in Hands Across America Among those filling the road through Desert Center population 120 was Jesse Woods 37 who arrived Saturday night from Seattle I think the US helps the people but they should do more he said I see hungry people in Seattle all the time Im doing this because of the kids Carrick said it will be days before organizers know if their $50 million goal has been met About $25 million had been pledged as of last week but that was before the flurry of sign-ups in the last 72 hours spirit of the days event James Norris of Los Angeles an elderly man sat at a bus stop on Hawthorne Boulevard looking bored He said he was about to lose his home a South Bay motel room He hadnt heard about Hands Across America Oh well I guess thats fascinating said Norris when told the purpose of the swaying masses in front of him If they genuinely help poor people it would be a good thing Lomita yogis wearing yellow berets brought their ancient Eastern energies to a mini-mall near Vermont Avenue We follow the oldest form of yoga Adhyatma-Yoga Its almost extinct except for in India and Lomita said Bhagavan Friend 43 A dirt patch in front of the Normont Terrace housing projects near Normandie Avenue was empty minutes before the event But Anna Murphy 27 and her relatives said they drummed up other residents to fill most of the street I am a single mother and I have two deaf daughters So I know what its like to go without said Murphys sister Avelina Lopez 25 of Long Beach I wanted to explain to my little girls what these people are doing and why At Los Angeles City Hall Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley with child actress Drew Barrymore at his side led thousands of celebrants singing the Hands Across America theme song Just a few blocks away in Skid Row the line stretched past a row of soup kitchens and homeless shelters where the down-and-out were also invited to join hands even as some still panhandled for quarters Directly across the street from City Hall on a grassy knoll where hundreds of homeless lived for several weeks in a makeshift Tent City two years ago dozens of transients still slept out in the open during the day From Page A1 I cant believe the apathy out here another staffer said Robynn Van Pattern who came from Berkeley to participate was beside herself This is why Ill never live in LA Theres no social consciousness Those hedonists are out there working on the their suntans she said pointing to the beach They act like were trying to sell them something Out on the beach a blond women who identified herself only as Hope from Redondo Beach spread lotion on her slim tanned body and said Dont you have to pay? A group of deaf people gathered in Hermosa Beach Among them was David McKee who through sign language said his friends hoped to sing along with everyone else Then it hit him Well have to shut up when we hold hands he said through a person who knows sign language Carrick said 35000 to 40000 stood along the bike path in the beach cities Lifeguards reported there was a break in the line in front of the Southern California Edison plant in El Segundo and a half-mile gap at Dockweiler Beach The Pacific Coast Highway leg from Torrance to Harbor City was spotty with gaps in front of the Torrance Municipal Airport and near Normandie Avenue Flags and red-white-and-blue balloons waved from lawn chairs and coolers up and down the highway The families retired people and teen-agers on the line said they were happy that for once Americans were helping their own I see a lot of poor people at my school you can tell because they always wear the same clothes for a week said Torrance Madrona School student Dustin Fleming whose dog Josie led the Paws Across America contingent singing Many people spent most of the 15 minutes in one of the South Bays busiest intersections asking passers-by what song was being sung Others chattered as they listened to celebrities sing over the radio Finally a driver marooned behind the line jumped out of her car to lead the line in a ragged chorus of America the Beautiful They needed another week to organize said Julie Benson 35 of Lakewood one of 143 Long Beach General Telephone employees who monitored the Pacific Coast Highway stretch I only had about 25 song sheets The monitors also didnt have envelopes to collect the $10 sign-up fees from last-minute participants Those who havent paid were urged to call (800) USA-9000 The toll-free number will be open to receive donations for the rest of the year Benson said But not everyone was caught up in A caller Saturday said there was a bomb planted aboard the Royal Princess cruise liner at Berth 91 in San Pedro but no explosive devices were found during a 34-hour search by Harbor Division police and crew members Lt John Oglesby the watch commander said the bomb threat was reported to Harbor Department police at 8:38 pm by gate guards at the entrance to Berth 91 The Port Warden also was notified and a field supervisor was sent to the area Sgt Robert Leven-thol said Three police sergeants six officers and two canine units responded to the call along with Oglesby Oglesby said it was not necessary to call the bomb squad Lt John Ochs said the Coast Guard sent one vessel to the scene and searched the hull No passengers were aboard the Royal Princess which departed for San Francisco on Sunday Crew members were alerted but none left the ship Oglesby said Officer faces trial for rape A Long Beach police officer who worked in the community relations division was ordered to stand trial on charges of raping a former sailor while she was on liberty Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge Mary Waters ruled last week that there is enough evidence against Robert Lee Ballew 39 to try him on one count of forcible rape and one count of forcible oral copulation During the one-day preliminary hearing a 21-year-old former Navy enlisted woman testified that on Oct 11 1985 Ballew offered to give her a ride from a downtown Long Beach restaurant and bar to her ship Instead he drove his unmarked police car to the Los Angeles side of Terminal Island where she alleged he raped her and forced her to perform oral sex Afterward she testified he said that he wished I would have enjoyed it as much as he did and drove her back to the Long Beach Naval Station on Terminal Island Deputy District Attorney Candace Beason said Ballew spoke at a community meeting prior to the incident but was not on duty An 11-year veteran of the force Ballew was relieved of duty after his arrest in February police Lt Jim Reed said He faces arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 6 and remains free on $10000 bail Ex-chief pleads innocent The former chief of the Los Angeles International Airport police bureau has denied embezzling more than $1000 in public funds by using city-rented cars for personal use Frank Costigan 45 pleaded innocent last week at his Los Angeles Superior Court arraignment on two counts of embezzlement and one count of falsifying public records Judge Aurelio Munoz scheduled a pretrial hearings for June 18 before Judge Robert Altman Costigan who lives in Orange County remains free on $1500 bail Deputy District Attorney Larry Mason said Costigan is charged with falsely claiming $182 in expenses from the city for using his own car during a business trip in January 1984 when he allegedly drove a city-rented car The prosecution also claims that Costigan used city-rented cars for personal use between November 1983 and October 1984 The cost of the use of the cars is estimated at $1000 Costigan was transferred from LAX to the Operations Bureau at Ontario International Airport in October 1984 He resigned from the Department of Airports last August Mason said Costigan faces a four-year prison term if convicted Navy official says more cargo ships needed US maritime carriers have been hit hard by US manufacturers who opt to ship goods overseas by cheaper foreign carriers and by the lack of bilateral trade agreements with selected US trading partners that would force foreign shippers to use American carriers Donnelly said We should consider bilateral trade agreements" he said adding that a healthy US maritime industry requires more militarily useful ships in the event of war At the end of World War II the United States had 5000 merchant ships available and the Soviet Union had 500 In 1985 the United States had 500 and the Soviets had nearly 2000 many of which are outfitted with electronic warfare equipment and other sophisticated surveillance gear Which side is going in the right direction? asked Donnelly In World War II over 6700 American merchant seaman gave their lives and over 700 merchant vessels were sunk By Tom Burgess Copley Newt Service SAN DIEGO The United States owns only about half the militarily useful cargo ships it would need to fight overseas for longer than three days and the number of private and government-owned cargo ships for wartime use is dwindling a top Navy official said recently The military would need more than 1400 cargo ships to conduct a protracted war in Europe and nearly 700 of those ships would have to come from NATO allies said Rear Adm Richard Donnelly Vice Commander of the Navys Military Sealift Command the agency responsible for a majority of US wartime resupply effort He made the remarks in a speech before the San Diego Navy League councils and the Propeller Club of San Diego The shrinking number of militarily useful cargo ships has resulted from an ailing US commercial cargo ship industry Since 1981 only 27 new cargo ships have been constructed by US carriers according to published reports in trade journals Wilmington From Page A1 Lorraine and Danny Slocum of Los Angeles brought their two children Daschawn 9 and Dajuan 4 to participate We think this is just beautiful" Slocum said Painting a sign that read We care in Wilmington California" Shauny Fabro 9 and her 5-year-old sister Sarah of Wilmington said they understood what Hands Across America was about I feel that were helping the people not only in Africa but in the United States" said Shauny who said she has seen homeless people Its not fair that we have homes and they dont" Many people along the line said it For those who joined the line spontaneously and would like to contribute to Hands Across America the address is Hands Across America PO Box 7707 Marshfield WI 54449-9986 Eleanor Montano of Wilmington said she has postage-paid envelopes and order forms for Hands Across America souvenirs She can be reached at 835-5838 Sylvia Lares of San Pedro was coordinator of segments of Hands Across America in Wilmington Harbor City Carson Lomita and Long Beach Lares who stood in Long Beach on Sunday also has envelopes for Hands Across America donations She can be reached by calling 514-3455 after 5 pm was about time something was done to help Americas needy and that Hands Across America was showing that Americans care If it means we build one less missile and feed more people thats fine with me Acosta said His father Ray of Torrance said This isnt going to solve it all but it kicks it off I wont just go to bed easier tonight Its going to make me think of it for a long time" I think its super It's a vehicle for Americans to help each other said Peg Staley of Gardena Nancy Gallardo of Carson said she signed up to join the line three weeks ago The more people that are coming the more exciting it gets she said Brenda Wilson of Anaheim was in Wilmington with the Long Beach Rape Hotline staff After nearly 20 minutes of hand-holding Wilson said she could go for another hour The line held on for more than 20 minutes between Figueroa and Alameda streets The radio played "We Are the World" Hands Across America" and America" The Beatles I Want to Hold Your Hand" followed on many radio stations The line dispersed as quickly as it formed and Pacific Coast Highway soon was vacant of people 1 I.