‘If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet shatter every closet door’
source: http://tinyurl.com/6w7lds5
-
-
- LOrion
- added this
On this day, 33 years ago, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White took a gun to City Hall....
The sentence sparked outrage in San Francisco’s Castro District, and protestors marched from the Castro to City Hall, chanting “Avenge Harvey Milk” and “He got away with murder.” Eventually the crowd swelled to over 3,000 and riots broke out — angry residents lit police cars on fire, shoved a burning newspaper dispenser through the doors of City Hall, and cheered as the flames grew.
But only hours after the riots had ended, police made a retaliatory raid on a San Francisco gay bar. Two dozen arrests were made during that raid and in the following weeks, gay leaders refused to apologize for the riots. This is what gave them political power and led to the election of Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
Feinstein then appointed a pro-gay chief of police who actively recruited gays into the city’s police force.
Dan White served five years of his seven-year sentence. Two years later, he was found dead after committing suicide in his garage by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Feinstein, now a U.S. Senator, is leading the way for LGBT equality by sponsoring the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which would repeal the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
http://tinyurl.com/6w7lds5
The sentence sparked outrage in San Francisco’s Castro District, and protestors marched from the Castro to City Hall, chanting “Avenge Harvey Milk” and “He got away with murder.” Eventually the crowd swelled to over 3,000 and riots broke out — angry residents lit police cars on fire, shoved a burning newspaper dispenser through the doors of City Hall, and cheered as the flames grew.
But only hours after the riots had ended, police made a retaliatory raid on a San Francisco gay bar. Two dozen arrests were made during that raid and in the following weeks, gay leaders refused to apologize for the riots. This is what gave them political power and led to the election of Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
Feinstein then appointed a pro-gay chief of police who actively recruited gays into the city’s police force.
Dan White served five years of his seven-year sentence. Two years later, he was found dead after committing suicide in his garage by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Feinstein, now a U.S. Senator, is leading the way for LGBT equality by sponsoring the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which would repeal the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
http://tinyurl.com/6w7lds5
-
- groups:
- Community, News and Politics, Politics, Progressive America, 4 more
-
- tags:
- LGBT, Civil Rights, Marriage, LGBTQ, 3 more
-
-
bike10
-
Does not seem possible it is 33 years since this event. How it changed the world.
- 6 months ago
-
bike10
-
-
UhOhSpaghettiO
-
Wish this story received more attention. Tears are running down my face as I type this, thinking about Harvey Milk's tragic death.
He is a true American hero. I hope he is always remembered. When my grandchildren are old enough to understand, I'm going to tell them about this man and give them the book to read.
- 6 months ago
-
UhOhSpaghettiO
-
-
UhOhSpaghettiO
-
Thanks for posting this.
Harvey Milk is one of my heroes.
I encourage anyone who wants to know more about him to read the definitive biography The Mayor Of Castro Street by Randy Shilts. It's an uplifting, inspiring read. - 6 months ago
-
UhOhSpaghettiO
