Fullerton : Security Funds OKd for Hands Across America

Fullerton, one of six Orange County cities involved in Hands Across America, is beefing up security to assure that the fund-raising event goes off without a hitch.

The City Council Tuesday approved $1,700 for additional police protection for the May 25 event and gave its support for the project.

The money will be used as overtime pay for law enforcement personnel who will man a 4.9-mile strip down Harbor Boulevard, according to Fullerton Police Sgt. Rex Stricklin.

The purpose of Hands Across America, a project of USA For Africa that has raised $140 million for famine relief in Africa, is to call attention to the American problem of hunger.

Organizers of the project hope to join more than 6 million hands in a human chain from New York to Los Angeles, stretching 4,200 miles through 16 states, according to Roger Carrick, state director of the project.

The county portion of the chain will also pass through Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Orange, Garden Grove and La Habra.

Carrick told council members Tuesday that the project will “demonstrate that America is beginning to come together again” by uniting to help the nation’s homeless and hungry.

J. W. (Bill) Mattman, whose Fullerton firm will be in charge of security for the project, said the chain will extend through more than 22 cities in Southern California, requiring at least 400,000 people to form the California segment.