No Apologies: Remembering the White Night Riots @ Et al.

The murder of Harvey Milk and George Moscone, and the infamous lenient sentencing of Dan White in 1979 spurred one of the largest riots in San Francisco history. The enduring image of the White Night Riots is a burning SFPD cruiser, immortalized on a Dead Kennedys album cover and in Dan Mavrides’ stylized “NO APOLOGIES” poster, created to raise money for the legal defense of those arrested. But beyond these vivid icons, this landmark in the legacy of San Francisco queer struggle still isn’t well understood. Radicals, liberals, cops, dykes, leathermen, street kids, sex workers, homophiles and anarchists all fought it out on the streets around City Hall, before spreading across the city. By the next morning, a new San Francisco was born. 

Join us for a conversation on memories and lessons from the riot with a panel of veteran organizers and journalists, presented by Pinko Magazine and Left in the Bay. This event is also co-presented by, and will be recorded as a podcast for Sad Francisco.