After the Riots / NEWS IN BRIEF : PEACE RALLY : 10-Mile Linking of Hands Planned

Thousands of Los Angeles residents are expected to join hands June 14 in a demonstration for peace and unity in the wake of the riots, a coalition of religious leaders has announced.

The human chain will stretch for 10 miles along both sides of Western Avenue, between Franklin Avenue in Los Feliz and Florence Avenue in South Los Angeles, leaders of the Interfaith Coalition to Heal Los Angeles said.

“Hands Across L.A.” is the brainchild of the Rev. Cecil Murray of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. It is the first in a series of programs that will be sponsored by the religious leaders, said Rabbi Harvey J. Fields, chairman of the interfaith coalition.

“We will stand together on every block over nearly a 10-mile distance,” said Fields, senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple. “We are one city, one ever-shrinking neighborhood.”

Dozens of churches have committed to have their congregations fill blocks along the route. The event, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., will include singing, prayer and the ringing of church bells. Streets will remain open to traffic.