Hundreds Give Blood to Victims

By Erica Williams
Staff Writer

July 17 -- Despite the sweltering heat and hours-long wait, hundreds flocked to the Third Street Promenade Thursday to donate blood for victims of Wednesday’s deadly traffic accident at the Farmers Market that killed ten and injured dozens.

More than 300 people had donated nearly 120 pints of blood by day’s end, said Khalid Patterson, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross. Many were already lined up when the drive opened at 7 a.m. with just one blood mobile unit on scene.

An average wait of three to four hours did not deter a steady stream of residents, area workers and shoppers eager to do something, anything, to help victims of the disaster.

They took a number and waited patiently, some leaving and returning later. Meanwhile, Red Cross volunteers plied donors with ice-cold water, juices and other goodies supplied by local businesses.

Mayor Richard Bloom, number nine in line at the start of the day, was one of the early birds. Clad in a heavy, mournful black suit, the mayor, who has conducted dozens of blood drives, said he was heartened by the turnout.

“An event like this really taxes the system,” Bloom said. “What people are really doing is replenishing the supply. It’s an outpouring of love. I can guarantee you (that) that’s why every person is here.”

The Red Cross’ Patterson called the response “very encouraging.” The deluge of people caused the agency to push back the drive’s closing time from 1 to 5 p.m. and call in a second blood mobile unit that arrived shortly after noon.

“We need this type of a response on a daily basis,” Patterson said, adding “a busy day is a good day for us.

“I think the people that turned out were glad to be here. People were mournful at what happened but were glad that they could come out and come together to help the victims.

"People understood the need for blood is not just for emergencies but is ongoing,” he added, “and that was the positive thing.”

Memories of a horrific scene, where 86-year-old George Russell Weller left people, produce, stalls and debris in his wake after he barreled through the two-and-a-half block stretch of Arizona like a tornado, were still fresh in the minds of some who turned out to give blood.

Santa Monica resident Mark Workman, number 111 in line, recalled the sight of “the walking wounded” that greeted him as he emerged from shopping at Brookstone’s on the corner of Third and Arizona shortly after the incident occurred.

“It was really horrible,” said Workman, who had shopped with his wife at the market Wednesday morning, as they do every week. “It was just sheer luck one of us wasn’t there.”

Workman described the experience as “kind of sobering” as he recalled giving money to Leroy Lattier Burnett, 55, a homeless man who died at the scene and was one of Weller’s first victims. Burnett was soliciting money at the east entrance to the market at Fourth Street and Arizona.

Workman arrived at 9:30 a.m. to donate blood and was still waiting in the early afternoon. Giving blood, he said, is “something positive you can do in response to something so negative.”

Manju Raman and four of her co-workers from the Radisson Huntley Hotel on 2nd Street and Wilshire Boulevard were also waiting patiently to give blood. The assistant general manager recalled how she narrowly escaped the carnage, having made a split-second decision not to go down Arizona to get to the Promenade for a late lunch.

“It was mayhem, people running everywhere not knowing what to do,” Raman said. “I’ve never seen anything like that. I wish I could’ve helped.” Raman, number 75 in line, was all smiles after giving blood, calling the experience “painless.”

Raman’s employer also helped, putting up four witnesses who were held at the scene past midnight the night before. The hotel is now offering a $75 bereavement rate to anyone affected by the tragedy, she said.

Elizabeth Wilsonhoyles, Raman’s colleague and number 77 in line, said she felt fine after giving blood and called the experience “rewarding, when you consider what was taking place at the same time yesterday.”

Eighteen-year-old Rene Hernandez and ten of his classmates, who left school at Santa Monica High to donate blood, ended up donning Red Cross T-shirts and volunteering after realizing that agency workers were swamped by donors. They arrived around 10 a.m. and stayed through most of the day.

Hernandez’s 12th grade class was meant to be at the farmers market Wednesday for a field trip that was cancelled because his teacher had not gotten parent permission slips back on time.

“We all consider ourselves very lucky,” Hernandez said, given that and the fact that “all of us hang around here at the Promenade.”

Patterson urged the public to call 800-GIVE-LIFE to arrange to donate blood at their local Red Cross chapters. He also urged local businesses and groups that want to sponsor a blood drive to call 800-491-2113 to arrange to do so.