In Retrospect/1987 : Verbatim

“Today in the church in Los Angeles, Christ is Anglo and Hispanic, Christ is Chinese and black, Christ is Vietnamese and Irish, Christ is Korean and Italian, Christ is Japanese and Filipino, Christ is Native American, Croatian, Samoan and many other ethnic identities.” Pope John Paul II, during his visit.

“Sorry. If I don’t cut in front, I’ll fall behind. Thanks.” Signs on RTD buses that were pulled off a short time after motorists complained.

“He (Joe Hunt) told me that he took (victim) Ron Levin’s watch because it was a distinctive watch . . . and put it in a storm drain in Westwood. One of us said it seemed like a shame because it was such a nice watch.” Dean Karny, former member of the Billionaire Boys Club, testifying in the murder trial of Joe Hunt.

“Crime, air pollution and sewers that sometimes leak and overflow.” Mayor Tom Bradley ticking off the city’s big problems at a fund-raising dinner for himself.

“Woof, woof.” Defendant Bruce E. Young, a former state assemblyman, quietly barking at an investigator in the courtroom whom he termed a “mad dog” during his trial for mail fraud.

“It was a desperate attempt to help very desperate people.” Major William Mulch of the Salvation Army, speaking of the dusty urban campground that housed 2,600 homeless people for four months last summer.

“The way I found out is that one day we agreed to have lunch at the Studio Grill. She wasn’t there.” Peter Holm, on wife Joan Collins filing for divorce.

“Hi, Ray. I think it’s sort of ironical that we end up like this. I asked for some leniency for my family. Remember? Well, I got none and you’ll get none.” Hand-written message on an air-sickness bag found in wreckage of PSA jet and written by David A. Burke to USAir official Raymond Thomson, the man who fired him.

“I simply can’t imagine who eats all those doughnuts.” City Councilman Joel Wachs, decrying what he called the “hideous” proliferation of mini-malls.

“They’re tired of running and hiding. But at the same time, they’re deathly afraid and suspicious of us. So they’ll be coming in here with two impulses--to stay, and go on with it, and to get out before their names get into our computers.” John Bowser of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, on illegals and the legalization process.

“We believe this was all an unforeseeable accident--you don’t prosecute people for unforeseeable accidents.” Jury foreman Lois Rogers on the not-guilty verdicts for director John Landis and four associates in the “Twilight Zone” trial.

“I kind of thought their homes could collapse, and then we’d be helping them, and then they’d see we are not really bums.” Homeless Venice Beach man Ted Perry, commenting on the Oct. 1 earthquake.