A Robber Snuffs Out Life of Fervent Palestinian Activist

Awni Said Rayyis had two passions--his job and his people. On Monday, as he had done for years, he tried to juggle both.

A senior waste inspector for the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, Rayyis, 59, had headed several investigations against large companies suspected of illegally dumping hazardous wastes.

He had planned to use his lunch hour this day to join fellow Palestinians in front of the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles. They were going to protest the recent assassination of Khalil Wazir, top aide to Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat.

But at the last minute, he backed out, telling friends that he needed to tend to something important at work.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., Rayyis was walking to his car outside a Bureau of Sanitation lab north of Chinatown when he was gunned down by an unknown assailant in what police are calling a “random street robbery.”

Detectives said Tuesday that Rayyis had just delivered samples of waste water when a 19- or 20-year-old Latino man confronted him on the street and an argument broke out. After pumping two bullets into Rayyis’ chest, the gunman jumped into a stolen, light-blue sports car and drove away. It was found abandoned two blocks from the lab.

Police said the killing appeared to be the work of a robber, even though no money was taken from Rayyis. They said they do not believe his slaying was related to his job or his activities in the Palestinian community.

“This was a stolen car. It had been taken on the 29th or 30th of April in the Echo Park area,” said Detective Roy Gobel of the Northeast Division. “We’re going to explore all avenues, but at this point, we are leaning toward a random street robbery.”

But his family and friends--pointing to his investigation of numerous businesses suspected of illegally dumping toxic wastes and his tireless work on behalf of Palestinians--said they cannot help but wonder if those efforts over the years put him at risk.

Mohammad Busailah said Rayyis, his best friend, had confided recently that he was working on a major investigation of a Los Angeles firm.

“He told us the company he was investigating was big, but he wouldn’t tell us any more,” Busailah said.”

Rayyis’ wife, Anoush, 51, said he had received two death threats in the past, apparently because of his activities in the Palestinian community. He was a member of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Arab-American University Graduates, and he helped raise funds to build hospitals for refugees.

“He was very devoted to his job and very devoted to his people. It was work and meetings, work and meetings,” said Anoush Rayyis in the living room of their La Crescenta home, surrounded by two of her three sons, Jamal, 23, a senior at UC Berkeley, and Fareed, 17, a student at Crescenta Valley High. The third son, Ramsey, 21, works with retarded children in a Jordanian refugee camp.

Adjourned in Memory

Rayyis’ death was mourned Tuesday by his co-workers and members of the Palestinian community, who said his absence will create a large void. At City Hall, council members adjourned in his memory and flags were flown at half-staff.

A chemical engineer by training, he had worked for the city since 1964. For the past several years, he has supervised inspectors who monitor hazardous wastes. Co-workers said he often accompanied authorities on raids of suspected polluters.

They described him as congenial and well-liked. They said he enjoyed sharing his culture, bringing trays of Middle Eastern delicacies cooked by his Armenian wife to the office.

“We’re still in shock. We’re still trying to recover,” said Steve Overton, Rayyis’ boss. “He loved talking about Palestinians, but he also respected the culture of others.”

Born in Gaza to a prominent Palestinian family and a childhood friend of Arafat, Rayyis left as a refugee in 1949. While a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause, he was part of a group of Arabs and Jews who met regularly in Los Angeles to talk about reconciliation between the two peoples.

Susan Weissman, a retired lawyer who founded the group, said of Rayyis: “He was the first to get angry, and one of the most loyal and loving of all the people in the group. He would yell. He would get real red. I worried about what he was doing to his body with all that rage.

“Yet he was always loving and tender and caring to us personally. Even when there was strong political and intellectual disagreement, there was always a strong emotional commitment from him to the cause of peace and justice.”