1989 Castro Sweep -- GLBT Historical Society

[Clevermess]

This is incredibly historical. Thanks for posting.

[ronrendon]

"this area has been declared an unlawful assembly area" - a police state at it's best

[gkoskovich]

Following are notes on incidents in the video, which offers clips from the last 45 minutes of the Castro Sweep Police Riot. Click on the time indicators to jump to the incidents noted.

The video starts about 9:15 p.m. as an SFPD sweep line moves south on Castro Street to shut down the district on a busy Friday night; it ends with the SFPD leaving the Castro around 10 p.m.

(Note that this video does not show the severe incidents of police violence which took place before the sweep started.)

[gkoskovich]

• The beginning of the video shows the "permanent AIDS quilt" which ACT UP activists painted on the pavement of Castro near Harvey Milk Plaza.

• At 0:40, the SFPD sweep line is visible extending across Castro from shop front to shop front a few doors south of Harvey Milk Plaza.

• At 1:05, passersby and residents are visible cowering in doorways in an otherwise eerily empty Castro neighborhood.

• At 1:42, an SFPD squad holding the intersection of Castro and 18th is visible.

[gkoskovich]

• At 2:05 and subsequently, a voice heard screaming over a loudhailer at the corner of 18th and Castro is that of Capt. Richard Cairns, the SFPD tactical commander.

• At 2:25, Cairns announces that onlookers are subject to arrest on the sidewalk and shouts, "Please leave the area."

• At 3:21, Cairns can be heard ordering residents to stay inside as the sweep moves north on Castro between 18th and 19th. At 3:28, Cairns is heard shouting, "Get your customers back inside."

[gkoskovich]

• At 3:35 and 3:51, civilians are visible crouching in doorways on Castro between 18th and 19th, peeking out warily to see if the sweep line has passed by.

• At 5:28, chants of "Cops go home!" are audible, followed by chants of "Take back the street!" as the forces of the SFPD withdraw towards Market Street; protestors and passersby swarm into the intersection of 18th and Castro for a final rally.

• At 6:39, Deeg Gold of ACT UP San Francisco uses a bullhorn to address the crowd.

[gkoskovich]

• At 7:54, the crowd stages a spontaneous march north on Castro from 18th toward Market, following the retreating cops and chanting, "Out of the bars, into the streets."

• At 8:00, a male ACT UP member with a bullhorn says, "Let's call it a night. We've done a lot of good work," then announces the date and time of the next ACT UP meeting; at the same moment, T. J. Anthony, aide to San Francisco Supervisor Richard Hongisto, is visible standing in the street at right.

[sftrash]

I found this clip after Googling the night Frank Jordan lost his shoe. He was the mayor at the time, and we chased him out of the Castro. They put it on dispay at A Different Light bookstore. I was at this riot, and was standing in front of Twin Peaks. I got clubbed on the head. Isn't it hilarious that I was proud that I got clubbed? We were always political, and made a LOT of noise! Sigh...

[Atropis42]

Thank you for posting this.

[BabyJaneHudson]

I remember this night, driving past the Castro and being the Rabble Rouser i am we quickly parked and got into the fray. i do n ot remember being locked in a busin ess for HOURS though. Best was probably one half hour inside Teh Badlands.

[gregster1978]

The fact this happened in my lifetime in America is terrifying. I hope people's experiences there motivated them to confront the fact this happens routinely all over the world. I think it's 85 countries where sex between men is illegal and the police basically have immunity to persecute us however they like. It's a disgrace.

[wally4media]

I was one of the protesters that night. In response to myself and about 60(?) people sitting in the street in a nonviolent manner, allowing ourselves to be arrested, the SFPD, in large numbers, violently attacked onlookers that had gathered on Castro Street, people just out for dinner, a drink, maybe a movie. The onlookers were trapped on the sidewalk by the SFPD, then violently pushed and attacked by the cops. Reaction to the incident just about ended the SFPD's routinely anti-gay violence.

[dmfeelings]

this was the night i moved here. i didn't make it down there, but i think it actually got kinda violent at one point. and this might have been when then chief of police frank jordan lost his shoe and it was "captured" by act up activists. or that may have been at a later protest in response to the martial law of this night...

[shanestar]

1989 really isn't that historical...! thanks for the reminder.

[mackcat]

To think that such crap could be committed in my lifetime, and that it still is. I agree with Mountscoundrel, we need to do more than simply assimilate and "settle down."

[mountscoundrel]

HELL YES.

it's nice to actually see something like this, even if it is almost 20 years old.

whatever happened? it used to be that the GLBT community would rally together and question actions. now we seem to be happier to ape heterosexuals & acquiesce to corporate targeting.

we used to be outlaws.

now it seems we're happy consumers.

[kd1s]

Not all of us are happy consumers. The SFPD still has a lot of atoning to do for their sins of the past.