Salvadorans, Friends in L.A. Celebrate With Toasts, Song

At the heart of the largest Salvadoran community in the United States, Salvadorans, activists and others Thursday toasted peace with bottles of champagne, lit candles and raised their voices in song.

Gathered on a street corner along the edge of Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park, about 100 people stood under blue and white Salvadoran flags and watched laughing as several in the group opened champagne bottles, the corks soaring in the air, and sprayed the crowd with foam.

“Viva, El Salvador! Viva la paz!” they chanted as rush hour traffic snaked by.

Some in the crowd hoisted red balloons printed with the name of the leftist Salvadoran guerrilla organization.

Throughout the day, joy mixed with skepticism as Salvadoran exiles in Los Angeles discussed the prospects for lasting peace in their homeland and debated the biggest question that looms ahead: whether to return to El Salvador.

Many Salvadorans say they want to wait and see whether the killing really will stop. And others fear the devastated Salvadoran economy offers them little chance at prosperity, at least for now. It remains unclear whether a temporary asylum program, which has benefited 200,000 Salvadorans across the United States will be renewed by federal authorities when it expires June 30.

The signing of the landmark peace agreement, which took place in an emotional ceremony in Mexico City, was broadcast live in the United States on two Spanish-language television stations. Where possible, Salvadorans tuned in at home, at work or in refugee-assistance centers to follow the event.

Another local celebration is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. in MacArthur Park. It will include a religious service officiated by Father Luis Olivares, among others, and music by Salvadoran bands.

Fleeing the war and economic hardship, tens of thousands of Salvadorans made the Los Angeles area their home in the last decade. Today, estimates of the Salvadoran community here range from 350,000 to 500,000.