European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 5, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 a the stars and stripes tuesday May 5, 1992 Massachusetts City baffled by 53 arson fires this year Lawrence mass. Apr fire. Its been the talk of this historic Mill City since january when the first of 53 arson fires turned abandoned buildings into ruins. A i put on the radio every morning to see what burned Down a said state rep. Kevin Blanchette. Although no one has died or been seriously Hurt fear is spreading with the insidious blazes that have Laid waste to chunks of the City. To Simone Dion this is no longer the place she was born in 74 years ago. A this was once a Beautiful neighbourhood a she said looking up and Down a Street Check ered with boarded up buildings empty lots and Many people unknown to her. A people used to know each other we visited we never locked our As Dawn broke tuesday Dion huddled in the House where she a lived All her life wondering if flames shooting out the building next door would claim her Home too. For some of the 70,000 people crammed into the seven Square Miles of Lawrence this is what life is like with an arsonist a or arsonists a on the Loose. A a we re almost writing off the first burning building and worrying about the next a said fire capt. Robert Cox. And Maryse Belangeri a two Young sons a have got no the family wants to move. Since january 53 arson fires have taken a huge toll. And with 500 abandoned buildings in this City North of Boston and 100 fewer firefighters than a decade ago the future terrifies some City officials. A we have been operating on sheer Luck a said acting fire chief Jack Bergeron. So far most of the fires have occurred separately. A one of these Days our Luck is Gonna run Lawrence has endured a plague of arson before in the 1970s. But that rash of set fires was pinned on insurance scams. Experts say the current wave is disturbing for its apparent Lack of motive. None of the buildings torched this year was covered by insurance. In fact no one owned them. That eliminates any profit theory. A we can t put a Case together with a paper Trail so we need real witnesses a said Essex county District attorney Kevin Burke. A and real witnesses Are hard to come clues also Are few. Investigators know most of the fires were set Between 11 . And 5 . The culprits use an accelerant usually gasoline and ignite the building in several places so the property is burning from end to end when firefighters arrive. Some believe drug dealers and gang members set the fires in turf Battles or to retaliate against police. Others whisper quietly that the arsonist May be a bitter Laid off firefighter or someone hoping to show that More Money is needed for fire Protection. Mayor Kevin Sullivan fears the answer is simpler but just As chilling. A this is somebody who gets their kicks out of watching fires and knowing what he a doing a Sullivan said. Cox the fire Captain thinks its All of the above. A this Isnit one particular Type of individual that a doing this a said Cox a 21-year Veteran. After struggling for months the City is getting outside help in the investigation. Eight police detectives have been joined by state fire marshals office an assistant District attorney and a Volunteer task cookout a German president Richard von Welz sucker and his wife Marianne get a lesson in outdoor cooking from ranch hand Pat Mcclarey at the Pearce ranch in Rosharon Texas on sunday. Their visit to the ranch came one Day after the German Leader delivered an address to More than 1,000 students graduating from Rice University in seeks end to Black on Black violence by John King a political writer los Angeles a Bill Clinton inspected riot ravaged los Angeles neighbourhoods after strengthening his Call for racial Harmony with a demand that society do More to combat Black on Black violence. Clinton was virtually silent after meeting with Community leaders late sunday in South Central los Angeles the scene of the worst rioting. A i listened for two hours and i Learned a lot a he said As he left the first ame Church. Calling Black on Black crime a the Scourge of America a Clinton also criticized a the White Power stricture a for ignoring the damage of such crime. A if White Folk killed White Folk like this All the Law enforcement resources in the nation would be available a he said. A when Black Folk kill Black Folk like this we turn the Arkansas governor the Likely democratic presidential nominee was to meet monday with Community activists and tour Korea town and other neighbourhoods hit hard by the rioting. Clinton a visit came As relative Calm returned to the City that erupted in violence wednesday after a jury acquitted four White current and former police officers in the beating of Black Motorist Rodney g. King. 7 on sunday the death toll in the violence Rose to 47 when National guardsmen shot and killed a Man who tried to run them Down. The Bush administration has criticized Clinton for his response to the crisis. Housing and Urban development Secretary Jack Kemp a Republican issued a statement sunday attacking Clinton a Campaign for having a reached a new Low when he attempted to politicize the tragic situation in los Angeles and turn it to his self perceived political before Kemp released that statement Clinton visited two Black churches in the nations capital and suggested that if he came away from his los Angeles visit with a plan to help Deal with the underlying problems Bush might learn from it. A a there a some Chance if we come out with an Agenda the current administration will adopt it a Clinton reportedly still arming Cuba Washington up russian ships Are continuing to deliver artillery tanks and other weapons to Cuba despite Moscow a assertion it was cutting off military and economic Aid to Fidel Castro Newsweek Magazine reported sunday. . Spy satellites reportedly showed a russian freighter recently unloading artillery and air defense weapons at the cuban port of Mariel. Intelligence sources also reportedly Tola the Magazine that satellite pictures during the last six months showed russian ships delivering soviet made t-64 tanks and modern artillery at other ports in the Caribbean Island nation. A a it a bizarre a one . Official was quoted As saying. Intelligence officials said the weapons May have been in the de Lively pipeline before the cutoff. Or they speculated that russian president Boris n. Yeltsin might still be Selling the weapons to Cuba to help his country sailing defense Industry. Plans to eliminate budget deficit May need More study Perot says by Thomas c. Hayes the new York times Dallas a h. Ross Perot the Texas businessman and Likely Independent candidate for president conceded on sunday that his plans to erase the Federal budget deficit were based on casual and perhaps flawed analyses that would require More study. Perot had said that the government could save $100 billion a year if higher income people did not accept social Security and medicare payments and another $180 billion by eliminating fraud waste and abuse in government. The Bush administration estimates the budget deficit for the current fiscal year at $399 billion the highest in the nations history. But when presented with analyses indicating that such cuts would affect More than 10 million people on social Security and medicare and would probably require deep cuts in research for aids and other scientific pursuits including a $8.2 billion atom smasher being built in Texas Perot said he would not support those consequences. Interviewed on the Abc program meet the press Perot grew testy during a protracted Exchange Over his budget paring views. He eventually distanced himself from past statements on cutting the deficit saying they were based on information provided by others. The 61-year-old billionaire and former naval officer also displayed what has become a growing impatience with reporters seeking a clearer outline of his views. He said his associates informed Abc officials before the program that he was not prepared to discuss several topics in detail. As he did last week on the Cable television program Money politics Perot complained sunday about not being notified in Advance about certain questions he would be asked. The Dallas morning news reported thursday that Perot did not respond to a written questionnaire on Campaign issues. The newspaper reported that Perot Stop adviser Tom Luce stated in a letter a if and when he becomes a candidate we will be Happy to consider your Perot said on meet the press that virtually All of his Energy is devoted to helping volunteers meet requirements for his name to be added to the november ballot in All 50 states not formulating policy positions. He had declared on Money politics that voters would know his positions on dozens of issues Long before the election. On sunday after questions about his deficit cutting views he said a give me a Little time to get All of this nailed Down and i will give you very specific ways we will do on the los Angeles riots Perot declined to criticize president Bush a response but said that As president he would have flown directly to the City. A i cannot make Good decisions remotely a he said. A a in a not criticizing the president. We All have our own he indicated that the rioting demonstrated that racial and Urban economic problems Are fundamental issues for National leaders. A a we be just split the melting pot a he said. A a we be got to put it Back together again. As a country we will lose if we let the melting pot break again and again and again
