tangents

news & views

by dal mcintire

San Franciscans, proud of their pleasure-loving city, have made the guide-book title, HOW TO SIN IN SAN FRANCISCO, a slogan. But lately, "Baghdad's" cops have been taking lessons from their Bible-beltmentality Los Angeles neighbors. Topcop Frank Ahern's new "Get tough" cleanup has been keeping things hopping from the Tenderloin to North Beach to the Embarcadero. At first San Franciscans blinked unbelievingly and decided it was just election-time stuff. But month after month, the raids and roustings, witchhunts and scandals have continued.

Early in the year, the State liquor dept. accused the SPUR CLUB of being "a resort for sexual perverts," and revoked the BLACK CAT'S license on the same charge, but dropped charges against MISS SMITH'S TEA ROOM for lack of evidence. Assemblyman Weinberger (Rep.) failed to get bill thru legislature to close bars pending appeal of license revocations ... "like hanging a man pending his trial," said another assemblyman. Armed Forces Discliplinary Control Board placed FRONTIER VILLAGE and other bars off-limits because of "alleged immoral or unsanitary conditions." Hazel Nickola, whose Sharp Park tavern was raided in a "spectacular" last year (90 arrests), sued for annulment of order to revoke her license, claiming the order is unconstitutional . . . the . . . phrase "sexual pervert" in the state law being "so vague it cannot reasonably be understood."

one

A feud over raising additional mental-health funds was sidetracked after a theft scandal at the Laguna Honda home brought in a mess of tips and rumors about alleged misdeeds of Dept. of Health employees. Papers pilloried Dr. Sox, City Health Director, for his resistance, two years. ago, to the removal of a statistician whose desirability was questioned due to a morals arrest with another man. Dr. Sox had felt the facts didn't warrant dismissal, but ordered a psychiatric examination (verdict: not unbalanced) and allowed the man to resign only after heavy pressure was brought on the Dept.

Next a young sixth-grade teacher was summarily removed from his schoolroom and dismissed when local Bd. of Educ. officials learned of a routine state check stemming from a morals arrest at Aquatic Park a year ago. Noisy accusations between city and state officials ... Topcop Ahern said from now on, "the police should determine immediately when anyone is arrested on a morals charge, whether the suspect is a teacher either here or anywhere," and notify school officials. Following week, 59yr-old Frisco Hi-school teacher applied for retirement after suspension pending investigation of 1948 morals arrest. He said he'd planned to retire, and had been acquitted of charge of "defacing a public place by writing an obscenity thereon" . . . he'd actually been erasing what someone else had written. "It never occurred to me to notify anyone I had been

10