Support for Port Disney Is Personal
I am disappointed over the abundant, negative innuendoes liberally sprinkled throughout the Sept. 26 article regarding residents of Long Beach and the Friends of Port Disney rallying to support the Disney project. I might expect that from a local paper, but the Los Angeles Times? Tsk, tsk. About 1,700--for Port Disney--attended that function, yet you focused on the smattering of anti-Disney people not even in attendance to “create” your news.
Let me offer another perspective from one not related to the “Disney PR machine.” I, and many others in my downtown Long Beach community, welcome Port Disney. I have never attended their promos, nor the Friends meetings. I have met no one from Disney Burbank, the Queen Mary or Anaheim. But I have distilled facts over journalistic newsmaking froth, and feel that many misunderstandings are based on misbegotten facts, news hype and fear of what is inevitable . . . change.
It is better for city coffers to receive $47 million a year than for the Port of Long Beach to receive five times that . . . with much of the latter going into foreign pockets. Most Port Disney guests will go home at night and not permanently impact local jobs, stores and streets on the level that the multiple hundreds of condos going up yearly--unprotested--do. Disney provides jobs. One-third of them are union; the others provide an opportunity for unskilled people to work and for youths an option to gangs. With two major employers leaving Long Beach, that is more than the Danish Maersk cargo lot will offer the city.
I feel strongly enough about Disney being here to have created, financed and within 10 days sold 500 no-profit bumper stickers--and not to the Disney PR machine or the Friends of Port Disney. They read, “24,000 New Jobs . . . Like Magic! Port Disney, L.B.” Please don’t try to convince me that a Disney-run promo was behind what I did. I have the bill and my sister did the typesetting.
We may not be newsmaking enough for you, but we are here, and we are many who want Disney to be here, too.
R. L. RUSTUEN
Long Beach
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