Ram Boosters Mix Sightseeing and Shopping on Both Sides of the Wall

Eighty members of the Rams Booster Club did their best to tear down one of the remaining segments of the Berlin Wall on Friday.

Armed with hammers and chisels brought from home, they chipped away at the stretch of graffiti-splashed wall still standing in the area of East Berlin that was once the site of Third Reich government buildings.

“Just don’t take down somebody’s building,” joked Jim Ort, organizer of the one-week German holiday for boosters that concludes tonight with the Rams-Kansas City Chiefs exhibition game in Berlin’s Olympiastadion.

“There it is!” said Jim Merrill, beholding the partition that had divided Germany’s largest city since 1961. “Spooky.”

It didn’t take long for the group--many of them decked out in the Rams’ blue and gold--to come away with their trophies, fist-sized chunks of concrete that they swaddled in sheets of newspaper.

“I’m taking this to the city of Anaheim,” said Betty Peterson, holding up her prize. “The city can auction it off to make money at one of their arts benefits.”

Carroll Connett planned to take her souvenir to German friends in Orange County, she said. Striking a pose with her hammer, she added: “I’m always prepared; I’m an old Girl Scout.”

After 15 minutes of attacking the wall, many of the boosters bought such keepsakes as East German army hats and military pins.

“I collect hats,” said Dave Crockett, plunking down 20 deutschemarks (about $13 dollars) for a blue and gray chapeau, signed inside by its former owner.

Shirley Taylor, secretary to Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, selected a fur-lined gray flannel cap with a silver military pin. “Perfect for cold weather,” she said.

Patti Brotherton autographed the wall, adding her signature to several inscribed by Ram team members a few days before.

The visit to the wall marked the first stop in a day-long tour of East and West Berlin. Among the sights the boosters saw were the Town Hall of Schoneberg, where John Kennedy made his famous speech in 1963, the Brandenburg Gate, the Airlift Memorial and hundreds of NFL posters promoting Saturday’s game.

A major point of interest was a mile-long stretch of the wall left standing by the government for use by East Berlin artists.

“East Berliners were never allowed to paint on the wall,” a tour guide explained. “So, when the wall came down the government left this part so a few artists could express themselves.” Among the wall murals favored by the boosters was a portrait of former Communist leaders Leonid I. Brezhnev and Erich Honecker engaged in a passionate kiss and huge letters spelling out “GET HUMAN!”

The guide added that Berliners hope the stunning murals will be sent around the world for exhibition.

“Oh, I hope the government doesn’t do that,” said Betty Peterson. “Here they’re beautiful and will always be part of history.”