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Akin to Judy Garland's death or Adam Lambert losing last night's American Idol finale -- damn you to hell, Bill O'Reilly! -- 30 years ago today the White Night riots erupted after supervisor Dan White was given a lenient verdict for murdering supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Windows were smashed, property destroyed, and police cruisers set ablaze. Then, after watching the gays get hysterical, SFPD raided a Castro gay bar (Elephant Walk, now known as Harvey's) in retaliation, thus escalating tension.
Anyway, the city was, more or less, on fire for a few days after the verdict was read. Fiery nights that would have made Gay Shame proud.
More footage after the jump.
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Wow. That footage makes me teary. It takes a lot for most people to fuck shit up- to move outside their comfort zone and smash a window or two. It's a measure of the pain and desperation the community felt...which is really what comes through in those clips.
They deserved (and do deserve) so much more than blatant discrimination.
Totally. I'm getting misty eyed. Are people even capable of working themselves into civil disobedience like this anymore, or are we all just going to Critical Mass ourselves to the nearest happy hour and then stumble home to watch TV? (Not that that isn't fun too.) I think the homos need to teach the heteros how to riot again - meet me downtown when the Prop 8 decision comes down, anyone?
If it were not for the contemporaneous murder of Mayor Moscone, Dan White would almost certainly have been acquitted for "only" killing supervisor Milk.
While civil disorder should not be the first recourse of the citizenry, in cases of gross judicial injustice, it is sometimes quite justified.
In my judgement, the reaction of the homosexual populace in this instance was fully justified, not to mention surprisingly restrained. The blue-bullies who participated in the "revenge attack" should have all been terminated, arrested, & imprisoned.
Is it just me, or are they shouting "No More Violence!" while demolishing City Hall?
That is just marvelous.
YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO SMOKE INSIDE?!?!!?
It was the 70's, cigarettes didn't cause cancer back then. They only tickled!
Can anyone who was here tell was it like when the news broke that Dan White killed himself?
Can anyone here describe what it was like to first hear about the "twinkie defense?" That still blows my mind that the concept was once legitimate.