By Karen Duryea
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Mark Melo fell out of bed a half an hour before he met up with
the UCLA School of Law, to walk in the 12th annual AIDS Walk Los
Angeles.
But he had a new pair of cross-trainers to break in, so he was
enthusiastic about spending the morning strolling through Melrose,
Fairfax and Larchmont districts. Melo, a third-year graduate
student at UCLA’s School of Law was just part of one of the eight
UCLA-affiliated groups that trekked 6.2 miles yesterday to raise
money for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA).
"This is (like) a day at Disneyland," he said of the walk’s
intensity, before it began at 10 a.m. Sunday morning. "It’s better
to do it for a good cause than stand in line all day."
Some other UCLA groups that participated were The UCLA Center
for Clinical AIDS Research, UCLA Alumni, UCLA Finance, and UCLA
Psychology Clinic, sporting T-shirts with the slogan "Psychologists
Do It In Groups."
"This is the first year that the (Psychology) clinic has done
it," said Karen Adams, office manager for the clinic and organizer
of the 27 member team. "People within the clinic had done it
individually, so we thought it would be fun to do it as a team.
Some people who couldn’t walk donated money."
The walk, which originated and ended in the Paramount Pictures
Studio, expected over 25,000 participants this year to generate a
record $3.2 million in funds for the APLA.
But not everybody walks the Walk. Some run, some rollerblade,
some use wheelchairs and even small children participate in
strollers. Anticipating the walk, people clutched bottles of orange
juice, organic yogurt and granola bars.
"I’m all right now," said Michelle Masters, a property
administrator and member of the UCLA Finance Team for the Walk.
"But we’ll see after the 10 kilometers."
Masters held a water bottle, prepared for the warm day and
three-hour walk.
"I actually thought it would be cooler, but it’s still going to
be great," she said, waiting to begin the walk at the gates of the
studio on Melrose. "It’s so nice to see so many of us from
UCLA."
The heat did not become a problem, according to Gary Mikialian,
a first-aid volunteer with the American Red Cross. Their makeshift
tent was "swamped" he said, but only with minor injuries – mostly
band-aids for blisters.
Besides the walkers, many volunteers helped out, registering
walkers and motivating them along the route to keep walking. Some
even stumbled into participating, like Joey Chandler, 25, a
resident of San Francisco who is in L.A. visiting friends.
"I helped distribute those fashionable cones," he joked,
pointing towards the bright orange cones that blocked off one half
of Melrose Ave. for the walkers.
Next door, in front of Marisa’s Burrito Adventure, owner John
Inada sprayed the thousands of walkers passing by.
"At first I didn’t know what they wanted," Inada said. "I was
trying to avoid spraying them but then they asked for it."
According to Chandler, Inada had been spraying walkers for over
an hour. When asked if he was worried about the water bill, he
replied, "Life is full of risk."
Inada’s slogan mirrored the atmosphere of the walk, a strange,
ethereal feel of 25,000 people marching by for the same cause
despite different backgrounds and lifestyles. A feeling of unity,
from small children to a six-foot drag queen who calls herself
"Momma" was felt when all waved to circling helicopters
overhead.
Even UCLA and USC walked side by side without rivalry.
"I feel like I want to do the eight-clap," Melo said. He
refrained however. "This is a day when you call a truce."
Masters agreed.
"This is one of those levelling affairs where everyone is just
glad to participate," she said.
The walkers met with some disdain as they exited the studio,
however. Protesters held signs that quoted from the bible and
blamed homosexuals for spreading AIDS.
But no matter what views on the AIDS epidemic, no one could deny
that the Walk was not for a good cause.
APLA, the beneficiary of the Walk, is a non-profit organization
that serves 6,000 Los Angeles County residents living with
HIV/AIDS-40% of the county’s documented HIV-infected population –
through more than 30 free programs and services, including the
Necessities of Life Food Bank.