SFPD Chief Bill Scott Police Commission Police Headquarters 1245 3rd Street San Francisco, CA 94158

Dear Police Commissioners:

Forty years ago, San Francisco awaited a verdict in the trial of former San Francisco Supervisor and SFPD Officer , whose double of Mayor and Supervisor sent shockwaves through City Hall. When news broke that White received an incredibly lenient conviction, destined to serve only five years in prison, members of the LGBTQ community erupted.

LGBTQ leaders were asked to condemn the protests and riots that followed. But as , Harvey Milk’s successor on the Board of Supervisors, stated, “People are reacting in anger because they are angry…” Our community knew that had Dan White only killed the heterosexual mayor, he would have spent the rest of his life in prison. But because White killed a homosexual as well, he would serve far less time.

The LGBTQ community had already become accustomed to police harassment and brutality, but this roiled the community and directed our ire toward City Hall. Protesters smashed through the doors, causing damage to public property and police vehicles. In response, SFPD’s officers retaliated by beating innocent bystanders, nonviolent protestors, and by raiding the Elephant Walk Bar.

This was not the first clash between San Francisco’s LGBTQ community and the SFPD, and it would not be the last.

Over a decade prior, in 1966, patrons of Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, fed up with repeated harassment and abuse at the hands of the SFPD, fought back in what became two days of riot and resistance. In 1989, AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, better known as “ACT UP,” organized a protest on National AIDS Day. It quickly descended into horror as police surrounded and terrorized the crowd, beating peaceful protestors.

This is how our demand for “pride” began. Resisting acts of police harassment, our community built itself up to resist the forces that threaten our existence. The terror inflicted by the SFPD was central to the movement for LGBTQ rights in San Francisco.

Change is possible and necessary, and we acknowledge the progress that the SFPD has made in recent decades to distance itself from this harmful legacy. However, an essential step in continuing this progress is a collective acknowledgment of this history and the mistrust and fear the police instilled in our communities, particularly among and trans people of color. Together, we must continue to find ways to do better.

Today, the SFPD has both an LGBTQ and a Liaison post, and the Police Officers’ Pride Alliance has done critical work to ensure that queer victims of crime are provided support and resources. We especially applaud the SFPD’s Pride Patch initiative, the proceeds of which go toward supporting Larkin Street Youth Services in their mission to end youth homelessness.

Given the SFPD and the San Francisco Police Commission’s commitment to ensuring that San Francisco lives up to its image as a sanctuary for all, we respectfully request that members of the San Francisco Police Commission issue a formal apology for the unnecessary and violent responses of the San Francisco Police Department to the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot of 1966, the White Night Riot of 1979, and the ACT UP /Castro Sweep Riot of 1989.

We believe that this acknowledgement of wrongdoing, if backed up with concrete action to ease unnecessarily harsh enforcement that disproportionately affects LGBTQ communities, will represent an important step in further healing the relationship between the SFPD and queer San Franciscans. In light of the Police Commission’s recent apology for the NYPD’s raid of the in 1969, we hope that the San Francisco Police Commission will follow their lead.

Sincerely,

The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club Executive Board

Cc: Sgt. Jayme Campbell, Secretary Police Commissioners