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Life & Times Transcript

2/3/03

LC030203

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

JESS MARLOW>> HE WAS ONCE THE PRIEST IN CHARGE OF DIRTY LAUNDRY. NOW HE’S AN OUTSIDER WHO KNOWS THINGS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DOESN’T WANT REVEALED.

PATRICK WALL>> EVERY DIOCESE HAS A SECRET ARCHIVES AND THAT’S NOT A SECRET TO ANYONE WITHIN THE CHURCH, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE FOR A LOT OF ATTORNEYS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

VAL>> AND THEN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT’S A TRADITIONAL GATEWAY TO LOS ANGELES. TONIGHT THE COLORFUL STORY OF BOYLE HEIGHTS TOLD BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE.

JESS>> PLUS, A LOOK AT TWO OF THE MOST POWERFUL MEN IN AMERICA AND NEITHER LIVES IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

VAL>> IT’S ALL STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> WE BEGIN WITH THE CONFESSIONS OF A FORMER PRIEST WHO USED TO BE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S FIX-IT MAN.

JESS>> NOW HE’S SWITCHED SIDES AND IS HELPING AN ORANGE COUNTY LAWYER PRY LOOSE SOME DARK SECRETS. AS PHILIP BRUCE TELLS US, PATRICK WALL WAS A MASTER AT PUTTING TROUBLED PARISHES BACK TOGETHER IN THE WAKE OF SEX SCANDALS UNTIL HE GOT TIRED OF IT.

PHILIP BRUCE>> IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD FOR PATRICK WALL TO THIS ORANGE COUNTY LAW OFFICE. HIS BUSINESS CARD IDENTIFIES HIM AS A CLERK AND A CANONIST, MEANING HE’S A SPECIALIST IN CHURCH LAW. THAT’S THE ONLY OBVIOUS LINK TO WALL’S DAYS AS A CATHOLIC PRIEST. TODAY HE’S PUTTING HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHURCH’S INNER WORKINGS TO USE IN A WAY THAT NONE OF THE CATHOLIC HIERARCHY EVER ANTICIPATED. HE’S USING IT TO SHINE SOME LIGHT ON LONG-BURIED SECRETS OF HOW PARISHIONERS BECAME VICTIMS OF THE PRIESTS THEY ONCE TRUSTED.

PATRICK WALL>> EVERY DIOCESE HAS A SECRET ARCHIVES AND THAT’S NOT A SECRET TO ANYONE WITHIN THE CHURCH, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE FOR A LOT OF ATTORNEYS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. I MEAN, THEY DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE SECRET ARCHIVES.

JOHN MANLY>> I’LL SAY THAT I STRONGLY SUSPECT WHEN THIS WAS CREATED THIS WAS NOT DESIGNED AS AN ARCHIVE TO HARBOR CHILD MOLESTERS, BUT IN THE UNITED STATES, THAT’S REALLY WHAT IT’S BECOME. IT’S THE PLACE WHERE ANY DOCUMENT THAT DESCRIBES A PERPETRATOR OR WHAT HE DID IS HIDDEN.

PHILIP BRUCE>> WALL WORKS FOR ATTORNEY JOHN MANLY WHO HAS A NUMBER OF CASES AGAINST THE CHURCH. MANLY SAYS, BY KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT DOCUMENTS TO ASK FOR, HE CAN GET WHAT HE NEEDS TO HELP THE VICTIMS.

JOHN MANLY>> YOU ASK FOR THE PERSONNEL RECORDS OF A PERPETRATOR, YOU TYPICALLY GET PERSONNEL RECORDS THAT MAKE YOU THINK YOU’RE DEALING WITH MOTHER THERESA.

PHILIP BRUCE>> MANLY WAS CO-COUNSEL ON A CASE THAT THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES AND THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE COUNTY SETTLED FOR $5.2 MILLION DOLLARS. HE SAYS GOING AGAINST THE CHURCH IS A DAUNTING TASK.

JOHN MANLY>> AS A LAWYER, IT’S VERY TOUGH. TRADITIONALLY, THEY ARE PERHAPS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE LITIGANT IN THE UNITED STATES WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BUT MANLY HAS A BIG EDGE AND ITS NAME IS PATRICK WALL.

JOHN MANLY>> THERE’S PROBABLY, I THINK, THREE PRIESTS, MAYBE FOUR TOTAL IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES WHO HAVE EVER COME FORWARD ON THESE CASES AND TRIED TO HELP VICTIMS, AND HE’S ONE OF THEM.

PHILIP BRUCE>> GROWING UP IN A DEVOUT IRISH CATHOLIC FAMILY, WALL NEVER IMAGINED THE PATH HIS LIFE WOULD TAKE. IT WAS WHILE HE WAS IN COLLEGE AT ST. JOHN’S ABBEY IN MINNESOTA THAT HE DECIDED TO BECOME A PRIEST.

PATRICK WALL>> I HAD A NUMBER OF MONKS, FOUR PROFESSORS, AND THERE WAS AN OLD MONK FROM MY HOMETOWN THAT ACTUALLY WAS AT ST. JOHN’S. HE TOOK ME UNDER HIS WING AND WE HAD WONDERFUL CONVERSATIONS. I COULD SEE MYSELF LIVING THERE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, BOTH BEING AN EDUCATOR AND TEACHING, AS WELL AS BEING A COACH.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BUT LIFE DIDN’T EXACTLY TURN OUT THAT WAY. WHILE WALL WAS STUDYING TO BECOME A MONK, HE LEARNED ON A DAY’S NOTICE THAT HE WAS TO REPLACE A RESIDENT FACULTY MEMBER IN A STUDENT DORM.

PATRICK WALL>> AT THE TIME, I WAS TOLD NOTHING AND I WAS BASICALLY TO EXPLAIN TO THE STUDENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE BROTHER HAD TO BE REMOVED FOR DIFFERENT CHALLENGES THAN HE WAS HAVING.

PHILIP BRUCE>> ONLY LATER DID WALL UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON.

PATRICK WALL>> IT’S ALL CODED LANGUAGE, OF COURSE. WHEN THERE IS AN UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT, BASICALLY THAT’S CODED LANGUAGE MEANING THERE WERE CREDIBLE ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AGAINST THE MONK.

PHILIP BRUCE>> WALL APPARENTLY DID WELL IN HIS ASSIGNMENT AS THE CHURCH’S FIX-IT MAN AND, AS A RESULT, HE FOUND HIMSELF TRANSFERRED TO A SERIES OF PARISHES WHERE THERE WERE PERSONNEL PROBLEMS.

PATRICK WALL>> BASICALLY, I HAD TO SHOW UP ON A WEEKEND AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I’M HERE TO FILL IN BECAUSE FATHER HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN AND I’M VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE AND I’M SORRY I CAN’T SPEAK TO EXACTLY WHY FATHER IS NO LONGER HERE.

RICHARD SIPE>> I SEE HIM AS KIND OF A CLEANUP BATTER (LAUGHTER), YOU KNOW.

PHILIP BRUCE>> AUTHOR AND PSYCHOTHERAPIST, RICHARD SIPE, HAS WRITTEN EXTENSIVELY ON PRIESTS AND SEX AND HE IS HIMSELF A FORMER MONK FROM ST. JOHN’S.

RICHARD SIPE>> ST. JOHN’S WAS EMBROILED IN A GREAT DEAL OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND A GREAT DEAL OF COVER-UP. THEY ARE NOT UNUSUAL IN THAT. NOW PATRICK HAD PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THAT.

PATRICK WALL>> IN EVERY DIOCESE AND EVERY RELIGIOUS ORDER HAD SOMEONE LIKE ME, SO I’M FAR FROM UNIQUE. A GOOD FAITHFUL PERSON WHO OBEDIENTLY TOOK THESE ASSIGNMENTS AND FOLLOWED THE ALLEGATIONS.

PHILIP BRUCE>> WALL, WHO’S NOW MARRIED, SAYS HE LEFT THE PRIESTHOOD BECAUSE HE BECAME SO DISILLUSIONED.

PATRICK WALL>> IT REALLY STARTS TO WEIGH ON YOUR MORALE. I WAS EXTREMELY NAÏVE AND, WHEN I CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THE ISSUE EVEN EXISTED, I ABSOLUTELY WAS DUMBFOUNDED.

PHILIP BRUCE>> IN PUBLISHED REPORTS, A SPOKESMAN FOR ST. JOHN’S INDICATED THAT WALL HAD PROBLEMS AS A PRIEST AND THAT ONE OF THEM WAS HIS FORGERY OF A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION.

PATRICK WALL>> MY RESPONSE IS THAT I DID NOT AND I HAVE NOT FORGED ANY DOCUMENTS IN MY LIFE. IT REALLY HURTS. IT’S DISHEARTENING TO ME THAT MY FORMER BROTHER IN THE MONASTERY WOULD MAKE SUCH AN ACCUSATION.

JOHN MANLY>> IT’S A PLAYBOOK RIGHT OUT OF THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY PLAY LOG. I MEAN, THEY’RE GOING TO ATTACK HIM BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO. WHAT CAN THEY SAY? HE’S A GREAT GUY AND HE’S SAYING WE HARBORED MOLESTERS? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO SAY THAT.

RICHARD SIPE>> I ASKED SOME OF MY FRIENDS AT ST. JOHN’S WHO KNEW HIM AND KNEW ME. I ASKED IF THEY KNEW HIM AND THE ONLY THING THEY EVER SAID TO ME WAS THAT HE WAS VERY MUCH AN INDEPENDENT THINKER, WHICH TO ME (LAUGHTER) IS NOT A CONDEMNATION.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BUT IN SPITE OF WHAT HE’S SEEN OR CLAIMS TO KNOW, PATRICK WALL HAS NOT TURNED HIS BACK ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

PATRICK WALL>> WE REALLY NEED TO FACE THIS EVIL AND TO FACE THIS DARKNESS.

PHILIP BRUCE>> AND HE BELIEVES THE WORK HE’S NOW DOING ON BEHALF OF VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE BRINGS WITH IT THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGING THE CHURCH FOR THE BETTER.

PATRICK WALL>> WE’RE REALLY CHANGING A CULTURE. WE’RE CHANGING A POWER AND CONTROL SYSTEM WHERE NOW, INSTEAD OF THE PRIEST BEING ABOVE THE LAW, THE PRIEST NEEDS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE.

JESS>> WALL’S INSIDE KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHURCH COMES IN HANDY, BUT THAT’S ALSO TRUE OF HIS LANGUAGE SKILLS. WE’RE TOLD MANY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS ARE STILL WRITTEN IN LATIN AND THAT’S A LANGUAGE THE FORMER PRIEST KNOWS VERY WELL.

VAL>> TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, LOOKING FOR A NEW WAY TO SLICE THROUGH LOS ANGELES’S TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE? HOW ABOUT A BUS THAT NEVER HITS A RED LIGHT?

>> WHAT THE SIGNAL PRIORITY MEANS IS THAT AS A BUS APPROACHES AN INTERSECTION, SOMETIMES IT REQUESTS PERMISSION TO GET A GREEN SIGNAL, TO HOLD THE SIGNAL GREEN A LITTLE BIT LONGER OR TO TURN THE RED LIGHT TO GREEN A LITTLE BIT EARLIER. WHAT THIS HAS DONE, ALONG WITH FEWER STOPS AND A NEW WAY THAT WE OPERATE THE BUS, IS THAT WE’VE CUT THE TRAVEL TIME BY THIRTY PERCENT FOR THE PATRONS.

JESS>> THIS NATION HAS A LONG HISTORY OF MEDIA TITANS WHO HAVEN’T EXACTLY BEEN BEST FRIENDS, BUT FEW RIVALRIES COMPARE TO THE ONE TODAY BETWEEN TED TURNER AND RUPERT MURDOCH. EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT TERRIBLY FAMILIAR WITH THEM, YOU’RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THEIR HANDIWORK.

[FILM CLIP]

JESS>> MURDOCH OWNS NEWSPAPERS AND THE VARIOUS FOX NETWORKS ALONG WITH MULTIPLE TV STATIONS AND A MAJOR MOVIE STUDIO. AND THEN THERE'S CNN, FOUNDED MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS AGO BY TED TURNER. LATELY CNN HAS BEEN LOSING THE RATINGS BATTLE AGAINST FOX AND, JUST LAST WEEK, TED TURNER RESIGNED AS VICE CHAIRMAN OF AOL TIME WARNER, CNN'S PARENT COMPANY.

VAL>> SO DOES THAT LEAVE MURDOCH AS THE LAST MAN STANDING IN THE ARENA? AUTHOR RICHARD HACK HAS JUST FINISHED A BOOK ABOUT THE TWO MEDIA MOGULS. IT'S CALLED "CLASH OF THE TITANS" AND RICHARD HACK JOINS US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THEM.

RICHARD HACK>> THANKS.

JESS>> AND HER QUESTION IS, DOES THAT LEAVE MURDOCH THE LAST MAN STANDING IN THE ARENA?

RICHARD HACK>> NOT IF YOU ASK TED TURNER (LAUGHTER). THE LAST WE HEARD, HE'S STILL STANDING UP VERY WELL FOR HIMSELF. IT DOES MEAN THAT THESE TWO MEN ARE CERTAINLY GETTING MORE POWER BY THE SECOND.

JESS>> IS THAT DANGEROUS?

RICHARD HACK>> OH, I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THE LESS DIVERSITY YOU HAVE IN THE MARKETPLACE, THE LESS OPTIONS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE. EVEN IF YOU HAVE MORE CHANNELS, IF THEY'RE ALL SAYING THE SAME THING, YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE MORE OF ANYTHING. YOU HAVE LESS. AND, OF COURSE, WHERE NEWS IS CONCERNED, IT IS ALL OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED AND REACH OUT FOR ANY NUMBER OF OPTIONS IF THEY'RE AVAILABLE.

VAL>> HOW DID THESE PEOPLE AMASS SUCH EMPIRES? I MEAN, THEY BOTH STARTED OFF RELATIVELY MODEST, YOU KNOW, INHERITED --

RICHARD HACK>> -- WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU CALL BEING SENT AWAY TO PRIVATE BOARDING SCHOOL AT AGE SIX -- BOTH OF THEM WENT -- AS MODEST, OR HAVING LIVED IN ESTATES THEIR WHOLE LIVES. THESE TWO PEOPLE CAME FROM WEALTHY FAMILIES. THE DISTINCT DIFFERENCE IS THAT THEIR FAMILIES WERE HEADED BY STRONG FATHERS WHO DIED YOUNG AND THE SONS TOOK OVER THE BUSINESSES, WHICH WERE SORT OF HALF FAILING AT THE TIME, BUT THEY TOOK THEM OVER, GRABBED THEM AND THEY MADE THEM INTO HUGE SUCCESSES, AND THEY DID IT ONE BRICK AT A TIME, BOTH MEN.

IN THE CASE OF TURNER, OF COURSE, HE WAS A VISIONARY THAT CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF USING THE SATELLITES TO TAKE THIS LITTLE UHF STATION AND BROADCAST IT ACROSS AMERICA AND THEN THE WORLD, THEN CNN'S TWENTY-FOUR HOUR NEWS. RUPERT MURDOCH SAID, HEY, I LIKE THAT IDEA. I'D LIKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE RIGHT, HOWEVER, IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND CREATED FOX NEWS, SO WE HAVE THESE TWO RIVALRIES. THE REASON IT'S SO IMPORTANT, THOUGH, IS BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST OUR NEWS. IT IS THE WORLD'S NEWS NOW. IT'S HOW WE ALL GET OUR NEWS.

JESS>> THAT'S CLEARLY TRUE OF CNN. IS THAT ALSO TRUE WITH FOX?

RICHARD HACK>> ABSOLUTELY. IT'S JUST AS TRUE WITH FOX, YES. NOW IT IS IN NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE WORLD. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WORLD LEADERS WILL LOOK TO THESE NEWS CHANNELS FOR THEIR INFORMATION. THERE IS NO BETTER SOURCE NOR QUICKER, FOR THAT MATTER.

VAL>> NOW THESE TWO MEN WERE VERY SIMILAR IN CERTAIN WAYS AND YET TOTALLY DIFFERENT POLITICALLY.

RICHARD HACK>> IT'S AMAZING.

VAL>> TELL US ABOUT THAT.

RICHARD HACK>> WELL, WHAT WAS REALLY REMARKABLE IS I DID THIS BOOK WITH HOW SIMILAR THESE GUYS REALLY ARE. I MEAN, WE MENTIONED, OF COURSE, THEY WERE BOTH SENT TO BOARDING SCHOOL, BUT THEY WERE ALSO ONLY SONS OF WEALTHY FAMILIES. THEY BOTH SKIPPERED YACHTS AND RACED IN YACHT RACES. THEY BOTH BOUGHT FILM STUDIOS. THEY BOTH BOUGHT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAMS. THEY BOTH WERE MARRIED THREE TIMES AND EACH HAD FIVE CHILDREN. I MEAN, IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON.

JESS>> AND THEY DESPISE EACH OTHER.

RICHARD HACK>> YES.

JESS>> ON THE BACK OF YOUR BOOK, YOU HAVE SOME COMMENTS FROM THEM. RUPERT MURDOCH ON TED: "I'M REMINDED OF SOMETHING THE ISRAELI SAID TO A COLLEAGUE. 'IT'S TRUE, SIR, THAT I'M A LOW MEAN SNAKE, BUT YOU, SIR, COULD WALK BENEATH ME WEARING A TOP HAT'."

RICHARD HACK>> THAT IS TRUE (LAUGHTER).

JESS>> AND TED ON RUPERT: "I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SQUISHING RUPERT LIKE A BUG."

RICHARD HACK>> YES. HE ALSO COMPARED HIM TO ADOLF HITLER FOR HIS ABILITY TO CONTROL THE MEDIA. BOYS WILL BE BOYS (LAUGHTER). WHAT CAN I TELL YOU? THE RICH BOYS ACTUALLY FIGHT EVEN BETTER, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE SHOULDN’T TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY BECAUSE, WHEN RICH MEN CONTROL THE MEDIA AND THEY WANT TO GET THEIR OWN IDEOLOGIES OUT THERE, IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING US THE TRUTH HERE. IT'S THAT THEY'RE JUST NOT TELLING US THE WHOLE TRUTH. IT IS NEWS BY OMISSION.

VAL>> OR THERE ARE SOME SUBJECTS THAT ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.

RICHARD HACK>> OR SOME SUBJECTS THAT ARE NOT COVERED AT ALL.

VAL>> FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE FOX CHANNELS, THERE ARE CERTAIN TOPICS THAT MURDOCH WILL NOT FOLLOW.

VAL>> RIGHT. HE IS FOR NO GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS, FOR INSTANCE, ON NEWS MEDIA. HE'D LOVE THE FCC TO DROP ALL RESTRICTIONS. HE DOESN'T PARTICULARLY LIKE UNIONS. HE'S BUSTED UNIONS SEVERAL TIMES. SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO A UNION STORY, YOU'D BETTER NOT BE PITCHING IT TO FOX NEWS. THAT'S ONE THING. IF YOU'RE --

VAL>> -- HE'S ANTI ABORTION?

RICHARD HACK>> YES. HE'S EXACTLY OPPOSITE OF TED TURNER WHO, OF COURSE, IS PRO ABORTION, PRO CONTROL OF THE POPULATION. MURDOCH SAYS, YOU KNOW, LET'S HAVE FUN.

VAL>> SO THIS REALLY DOES AFFECT WHAT PEOPLE SEE IF THEY WERE TO WATCH FOX?

RICHARD HACK>> OH, SURE. AND AS A SAVVY NEWS CONSUMER, IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS WORKS BOTH WAYS. IT'S NOT JUST APPLYING TO YOU, ME AND THE OTHER JOURNALISTS. IT APPLIES TO PEOPLE WHO ARE RECEIVING THE NEWS. WE MUST PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS, RAISE OUR HANDS, GET INVOLVED AND DO SOMETHING BECAUSE, PRETTY SOON -- WELL, THE LAST LINE IN THIS BOOK SAYS "AND THEN THERE WAS ONE". IT'S GOING IN THAT DIRECTION. WE ARE LOSING OUR ALTERNATIVES HERE.

JESS>> THESE MEN WERE HARD-DRIVING, DEMANDING BUSINESSMEN, BUT THEY WERE ALSO, TO SOME EXTENT, PLAYBOYS. THEY BOTH LOVED OWNING MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS.

RICHARD HACK>> THEY'RE BOTH BIG GAMBLERS, YES.

JESS>> SAILORS?

RICHARD HACK>> BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY BOTH WOULD RISK EVERYTHING. THEY BOTH CAME WITHIN AN INCH OF BANKRUPTCY WITHIN THE SAME YEAR BY THROWING EVERYTHING INTO A POT AND RISKING THEIR ENTIRE CAREERS AND THEIR ENTIRE LIVELIHOODS ON ONE VISION.

JESS>> WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING IN THE END?

VAL>> NOW THAT TURNER HAS RESIGNED FROM AOL?

RICHARD HACK>> WELL, JUST BECAUSE TURNER -- LET ME CORRECT A MISIMPRESSION HERE -- JUST BECAUSE TURNER HAS RESIGNED FROM AOL IS NOT TO SUGGEST THAT TURNER IS OUT OF THE PICTURE HERE AT ALL.

JESS>> HE STILL HAS A FEW SHARES OF STOCK.

RICHARD HACK>> YES, HE HAS -- NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU CANNOT BE ON A MANAGEMENT TEAM IF YOU WANT TO BE THE THORN IN THE SIDE OF MANAGEMENT. NOW HE HAS TO REMOVE HIMSELF FROM THE BUSH AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE'S DOING. THIS IS A MAN WHO LIKES TO SPEAK HIS MIND AND HE'S GOING TO BE SPEAKING IT LOUD AND CLEAR NOW THAT HE'S FREE FROM CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS THAT TELL HIM HE CANNOT. WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS GOING TO BE RUPERT MURDOCH BUYING DIRECTV, WHICH IS SATELLITE DELIVERY SERVICE --

JESS>> -- AND HE'S GOING TO SELL THE DODGERS TO DO SO?

RICHARD HACK>> HE CERTAINLY IS AND THE DODGERS, OF COURSE, ARE UP FOR SALE AND THEY WILL BE PURCHASED SHORTLY. THE FACT IS THAT, ONCE HE COMPLETES THAT LITTLE NICHE IN HIS GLOBAL SATELLITE NETWORK, HE IS GOING TO HAVE CONTROL OF SATELLITES, PERIOD.

VAL>> AND HE HAD A VERY STRATEGIC MARRIAGE, SO TELL US ABOUT THAT. THAT WAS INTERESTING.

RICHARD HACK>> WELL, YES, HE'S MARRIED. WENDY, HIS LATEST WIFE, HIS THIRD WIFE. SHE IS QUITE YOUNG. THEY JUST HAD A CHILD, BUT SHE --

VAL>> -- FORTY-ONE YEARS YOUNGER (LAUGHTER).

RICHARD HACK>> YES, BUT SHE IS CHINESE. SHE WORKED FOR HIM IN HONG KONG. THE FACT IS, HE NEEDS TO BE IN THE CHINESE MARKET. HE NEEDS TO EXPAND HIS CHINESE EMPIRE. SHE IS AIDING THAT VERY NICELY. SHE KNOWS THE RULES, SHE CAN FINESSE HERSELF AROUND BUSINESS. IT WAS QUITE A GOOD UNION THERE FOR BUSINESS.

JESS>> A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE? (LAUGHTER)

RICHARD HACK>> WELL, I THINK THEY LOOK EXTREMELY IN LOVE WHEN YOU SEE THEM TOGETHER IN THE PICTURES. THE LOOK IN HER EYES SAYS LOVE TO ME, JESS (LAUGHTER). I DON'T KNOW.

VAL>> (LAUGHTER) LOVE OF WHAT? POWER, NO DOUBT. THANK YOU, RICHARD HACK.

RICHARD HACK>> SURE. IT'S MY PLEASURE.

VAL>> THE BOOK, AGAIN, IS "CLASH OF THE TITANS: HOW THE UNBRIDLED AMBITION OF TED TURNER AND RUPERT MURDOCH HAVE CREATED GLOBAL EMPIRES THAT CONTROL WHAT WE READ AND WATCH EACH DAY".

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JESS>> TONIGHT WE TAKE YOU BACK TO ONE OF THE FIRST SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENTS IN LOS ANGELES'S HISTORY. BOYLE HEIGHTS WAS BUILT IN THE LATE 1800'S JUST EAST OF THE OLD PUEBLO. IT WAS DEVELOPED FOR AFFLUENT CITIZENS WHO WANTED TO MOVE OUT OF THE CITY.

VAL>> WELL, TODAY BOYLE HEIGHTS IS IN THE HEART OF LOS ANGELES AND, OVER THE DECADES, IT HAS SERVED AS A GATEWAY FOR STREAMS OF IMMIGRANTS. NOW IT'S THE FOCUS OF A NEW DOCUMENTARY BEING SHOWN AT THE JAPANESE-AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM. IT'S A FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT CALLED "CROSSROADS: BOYLE HEIGHTS". HERE'S A BRIEF LOOK AT THE FILM.

>> I THINK ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I WAS REALLY CONSCIOUS OF WAS THE DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE THAT LIVED IN THE COMMUNITY.

>> ON MY STREET WAS A CAUCASIAN FAMILY ON THE SOUTH SIDE, AND ON THE NORTH SIDE WAS A MEXICAN FAMILY.

>> NEXT DOOR TO US WAS A MEXICAN FAMILY. A BLOCK AWAY WAS A SCOTCH FAMILY.

>> I DON'T THINK I KNEW ONE PERSON IN BOYLE HEIGHTS WHOSE PARENTS HAD BEEN BORN IN THE UNITED STATES. WE WERE ALL IMMIGRANTS' KIDS.

>> YOU KNOW, OUR PARENTS COULDN'T LIVE WHERE THEY WANTED TO. YOU COULDN'T BUY PROPERTY. EVERY PLACE WAS RESTRICTED. ASIANS AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND, YOU KNOW, LATINOS COULD ONLY LIVE IN A CERTAIN AREA. THAT'S WHY WE ALL REALLY ENDED UP IN THE SAME PLACE LIKE BOYLE HEIGHTS BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY PLACE THAT WOULD ACCEPT US.

>> THEY HAD RESTRICTED COVENANTS THERE AND BOYLE HEIGHTS WAS OPEN.

>> EVEN IN BOYLE HEIGHTS, YOU HAD WHAT THEY CALLED RESTRICTED COVENANTS ON CERTAIN STREETS. WHEN SOME OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS THAT CAME INTO PROSPEROUS AND WANTED TO MOVE IN CERTAIN AREAS, THEY FOUND OUT THEY COULDN'T LIVE THERE. THAT'S HOW THEY FOUND THAT OUT.

>> YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG, THERE'S NO DISCRIMINATION IN YOUR MIND. PREJUDICE IS PUT INTO YOU BY LIFE. SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD A MEXICAN LIVING NEXT TO YOU, SO WHAT? THEN SOMEONE PUTS THINGS IN YOUR MIND THAT THEY DON'T LIKE MEXICANS OR WHITES DON'T LIKE MEXICANS. YOU KNOW, IT GOES ON AND ON.

>> THE ONLY SEGREGATION I SAW WAS WHEN THEY PUT IN A SWIMMING POOL DOWN AT EVERGREEN PLAYGROUND AND THE BLACKS WEREN'T ALLOWED TO SWIM IN IT. MY MOTHER AND THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN, ALONG WITH THE JEWISH WOMEN -- I CAN'T REMEMBER WHO THEY ARE AT ALL -- GOT TOGETHER AND THEY FOUGHT THIS THING AND THE CITY HAD TO CHANGE THEIR THINKING.

>> MOST OF THE BUSINESSES, EXCEPT FOR THE LOCAL STORES, THE MOM AND POP STORES, WAS ON BROOKLYN AVENUE.

>> WE HAD BROOKLYN AVENUE WHICH WAS QUITE A MAGNET FOR JEWS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY.

>> PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER, CAME SHOPPING THERE. EVERY PERSON CAME TO BROOKLYN AVENUE. THAT WAS A MAIN PLACE TO HAVE THE BUSINESSES.

>> ON ONE CORNER WAS AN ICE CREAM PARLOR CALLED CURRY'S, CURRY'S MILE HIGH. ON THE OTHER CORNER WAS A DRUGSTORE, CARPMAN'S. THERE WERE A LOT OF MEAT MARKETS, FISH MARKETS, ONE DAIRY. THE GUY HAD A BIG CHURN AND MADE BUTTER. THEN THERE WERE OPEN FRUIT STANDS, FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

>> IT'S LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY. WALKING DOWN TO THE STORES, SMELLING THE PICKLES AND THE JEWISH HERRING, THE CREAM CHEESE. YOU COULD SEE IT.

>> THE ENTIRE STREET ON BOTH SIDES WAS ALL JEWISH MERCHANTS ALL THE WAY. THEN THERE WAS CANTER'S DELI. CANTER'S DELI WAS THE MOST FAMOUS SPOT IN BOYLE HEIGHTS. PEOPLE CAME FROM ALL OVER TO GO TO CANTER'S DELI.

>> WE WERE ALL JUST LIKE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. ALL OF JAPANESE-AMERICANS AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS. A BEAUTIFUL PERSON ALSO LIVED NOT TOO FAR FROM MY HOUSE AND HE LOVED THE BURRITOS AND HE WOULD BRING US STEAMED RICE WITH THE SOY SAUCE. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE STEAMED RICE WITH THE SOY SAUCE. YOU CAN'T HAVE STEAMED RICE WITHOUT THE SOY SAUCE. WE ALWAYS GOT ALONG SO WELL.

>> ROOSEVELT HIGH WAS SENSATIONAL. ROOSEVELT WAS GREAT. IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE. IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE OF LIVING WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS, A LOT OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS AND EVERYONE GOT ALONG PRETTY WELL. IT WAS REALLY A TREMENDOUS COMPOSITE OF AMERICA. EVERYBODY WAS FIRST GENERATION AMERICANS.

>> I THINK THEY HAD -- I THINK THIS IS SOME OF IT HERE WHERE THE DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES DRESSED UP IN THE COSTUMES OF THEIR NATIVE COUNTRIES, THEIR PARENTS' NATIVE COUNTRIES. YEAH, THEY USED TO PARADE AROUND THE FIELD. I DIDN'T GET DRESSED UP IN ANYTHING BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT PART OF AFRICA I'D COME FROM.

>> WE HAD A FOOTBALL TEAM. IN 1941, WE WON THE CITY CHAMPIONSHIP. WE HAD RUSSIANS, WE HAD JAPANESE, WE HAD JEWS, WE HAD MEXICANS. THE THING WAS A COMPOSITE OF REALLY WHAT THE HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT WAS. THE REAL MAIN EXITS FROM BOYLE HEIGHTS STARTED AFTER, I WOULD SAY, 1945.

>> FIRST, I SAW THE JEWISH PEOPLE MOVING OUT. MOVING OF THEM WENT TO EITHER THE WEST SIDE OR TO THE VALLEY. THEN THE MEXICANS BEGAN TO FILTER IN.

>> PEOPLE JUST MOVED OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS AS THEY WERE ABLE TO AFFORD BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS. OR WHERE THEY WOULD GET JOBS, THEY WOULD MOVE CLOSER TO WHERE THEY WORKED.

>> THE IMPRESSION THAT I GOT WAS THAT THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT WERE REALLY KIND OF CONTENT TO BE IN THE COMMUNITY OR TO STAY IN THE COMMUNITY WERE THE LATINO PEOPLE, BUT EVERYBODY ELSE WAS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT GETTING OUT.

>> I USED TO GO TO THE LIBRARY ON WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS CESAR CHAVEZ. THAT USED TO BE A WONDERFUL PLACE. THEN I WOULD CUT ACROSS AND GO UP PAST THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. THOSE PLACES ARE STILL THERE. IT'S KIND OF NOSTALGIC TO GO BY, BUT IT'S CHANGED A LOT.

>> THERE'S STILL KIND OF REMNANTS OF THAT OLD COMMUNITY OR THAT ORIGINAL COMMUNITY THERE, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S JUST COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. IT'S COMPLETELY CHANGED.

>> I GUESS THAT, IF I WERE TO SIT DOWN TO RECAPITULATE MY LIFE AND KNOW WHAT ARE THE HIGH POINTS OF MY LIFE AND SO FORTH, I WOULD SAY BOYLE HEIGHTS WOULD BE RIGHT THERE AT THE TOP.

>> AND I SAY THIS IN EARNEST THAT I TELL EVERYBODY THAT I COME FROM BOYLE HEIGHTS. IF THE COUNTRY TOOK AFTER THE PEOPLE IN BOYLE HEIGHTS, I DON'T THINK WE'D HAVE THE TROUBLE WE HAVE TODAY.

JESS>> YOU CAN SEE THE FULL THIRTY-MINUTE DOCUMENTARY AT THE JAPANESE-AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM. IT'S PART OF AN EXHIBIT CALLED "BOYLE HEIGHTS: THE POWER OF PLACE" AND IT RUNS THROUGH FEBRUARY 23. FOR MORE DETAILS, YOU CAN REACH THE MUSEUM WITH THE CONTACT INFORMATION YOU NOW SEE ON YOUR SCREEN.

"BOYLE HEIGHTS: THE POWER OF PLACE"
JAPANESE-AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM
(213) 625-0414
BOYLEHEIGHTSPROJECT.ORG

VAL>> AND IF YOU MISSED THOSE CONTACTS, YOU CAN JUST GO TO US AT KCET.ORG, CLICK ON LIFE AND TIMES AND E-MAIL US. WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU THE INFORMATION. WHILE YOU'RE THERE, CHECK OUT TRANSCRIPTS OF PAST PROGRAMS AND AUDIO STREAMING OF THE LAST FIVE SHOWS.

JESS>> AND THAT'S TONIGHT'S BROADCAST. NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, THANKS FOR WATCHING AND GOOD NIGHT.

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