U.S. Cities Greet Decisions With Calm : Reaction: Unlike the unrest in many places last year, Saturday’s verdicts are met with praise and peace demonstrations.

Peace was as contagious this time as chaos was last year, as cities across the nation reacted with quietly mixed feelings to Saturday’s verdicts in the Rodney G. King federal civil rights trial.

In Las Vegas, where riots last year left one person dead, this year’s verdicts prompted a single, poignant demonstration--a bevy of white police officers and black activists, marching arm-in-arm for civil rights.

In New York, Mayor David N. Dinkins said he was disappointed that all four defendants were not found guilty. But the Big Apple’s best-known black activist called for celebration: The Rev. Al Sharpton scheduled a vigil outside police headquarters “to give thanks to God for the L.A. verdict.”

In San Francisco, where police were forced to declare a state of emergency last year, demonstrators were so peaceful that they ended up being upstaged by a more local emergency: 49ers quarterback Joe Montana announced plans to jump to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Meanwhile, in Orange County, a small-town police chief voiced a heartfelt plea that most big city cops would have found unutterable a year ago: “Now that it’s over with,” said Cypress Police Chief Daryl Wicker, “let’s get on with the business of living and loving each other.”

The calm stood in sharp contrast to the outrage that swept the nation last year when a state trial of the four officers involved in the King beating resulted in not guilty verdicts on all but one count. Berkeley merchants sustained $5 million in damages, Atlanta was beset by rioting, and bands of youths rampaged through downtown Seattle, smashing windows and skirmishing with police.

Mindful of that violence, mayors nationwide spent last week drawing up riot contingency plans and police went on alert. Community hot lines were set up for rumor control. A San Bernardino newspaper even published a list of ministers for those needing spiritual succor.

But neither the verdicts nor the reactions matched expectations, and when two of the four defendants were found guilty, the relief was palpable. Even those officials who disagreed with the jury’s decision to acquit two of the officers said it probably was for the best.

“I accept the verdict, but that doesn’t mean I like it,” said Dinkins in New York, where the verdict flashed across electronic billboards at Times Square. Nonetheless, he added, “had there been exonerations of all four defendants, then our job of telling people that violence and destruction of property is not the answer . . . would have been much harder.”

Thus, instead of rage, there was debate this time around--on street corners, on television, on radio call-in shows.

An Orange County man dialed KFI-AM radio to tell former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates that the mixed verdicts, in his opinion, were a “politically correct” compromise intended to avoid more rioting. Meanwhile, Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder said: “If the state jury had done what this jury did, would there have been a riot? I don’t think so.”

In Detroit, Mayor Coleman A. Young issued a statement calling the jury’s decision “a weak, belated response to what was an atrocious beating.”

“Although justice is not dead, justice is not served,” said Joseph W. Clark of the Atlanta Area Student Alliance.

But San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan called for understanding and acceptance. “Justice has been rendered,” Jordan said.

At a San Diego demonstration of about 60 protesters, early sentiment seemed to favor the jury’s decision--one woman carried a sign saying “Hallelujah! Thank God for the verdict!” But before marchers had finished covering the 50 blocks in their procession route, the group was chanting, “No justice, no peace!”

Municipal hot lines were besieged with calls, said San Diego police Sgt. Juan Gonzales, half from people seeking information and the rest from callers who “wanted to vent.”

“Lots of people slept late and missed all the action, so they’re calling us,” said Moreno Valley public information officer Clarence Brown.

In Las Vegas, where police and activists marched side by side, the dialogue was more direct.

“Thank you for letting us be a part of your march,” Metro Deputy Chief Richard Winget told an assembly of about 75 civil rights demonstrators outside City Hall.

“Thank you, Metro,” replied organizer Joann Wesley-Lee. “When you walk together, talk together, lock arms together, you find we are all the same.”

Across the Nation

Big-city leaders who braced for sympathetic protests after last year’s verdicts had this to say Saturday about the outcome of the federal trial:

A) Detroit: The King case “was a tragedy in the sense that it took two trials to get the minimum amount of justice.” -- Mayor Coleman A. Young

B) Boston: “I think we all feel the justice system has spoken. It is working, not perfectly, but at least it’s reflective of how people in this country feel. They want justice served.” -- Mayor Raymond Flynn

C) New York: “Found guilty or not, these four officers crossed the thin blue line between appropriate response and excessive force. Clearly, some people will feel Rodney King has not been accorded a full measure of justice today.” -- Mayor David N. Dinkins

D) Atlanta: “All of us are going to sleep better tonight. It is imperative for us to say justice was done in large measure.” -- Mayor Maynard Jackson

E) Miami: “We’re very pleased they got a verdict as opposed to a hung jury, which may have caused the case to stretch out longer than necessary.” -- Police Chief Calvin Ross

F) San Francisco: “To know that two principals involved were found guilty will eliminate a great deal of the frustrations we showed the last time. There will be demonstrations, but hopefully they will be of a triumphant, victorious manner.” -- Mayor Frank Jordan

G) Seattle: “The criminal justice system has shown to all Americans, especially African-Americans, that it can be fair and that is can render justice.”

From Times wire services