Associated Press
San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein comments on the jurors'
verdict in the trial of Dan White.
Frisco tense after White verdict ignites riot
New York Times
SAN FRANCISCO Mayor Dianne Feinstein invoked a mutual aid pact and put policemen from San Francisco and neighboring towns on alert last night in case of more violence by residents protesting the verdict in the shooting deaths last November of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
More than 140 people, including 60 policemen, were injured, police cars were burned, City Hall windows were broken and fires were set in spontaneous demonstrations last evening after a jury of seven women and five men found Dan White guilty of voluntary manslaughter in both killings, a verdict with a maximum sentence of less than eight years. The prosecution had sought the death penalty.
About two dozen demonstrators were arrested Monday night.
Despite the trouble, Mayor Feinstein decided not to revoke a permit issued for for a rally last night to commemorate the 49th birthday of Milk, the city's first avowedly homosexual official. City officials said they had decided that there would be more potential for violence if the rally was canceled since the gathering could channel anger into positive political action.
The violence erupted Monday night after 1,500 homosexuals marched to City Hall to protest
what they saw as a decision that would let people feel free to assault homosexuals without fear of severe punishment.
The crowd outside City Hall reached about 5,000 by 10 p.m. By that time fires had been set in trash cans, newspapers stands and even bushes, and small groups of young people were running down side streets breaking windows in stores, houses and cars.
Shortly after, the police began to move in but, outnumbered, they were forced to retreat into City Hall and the crowd began throwing bricks and other objects through the windows and started setting police cars afire. The protesters also began throwing tear gas, which was said to have been taken from police cars before they were set afire.
The crowd was screaming "Get Dan White. Lynch him." Others shouted "junk food murderer," a reference to defense statements that one evidece of White's mental turmoil in the days before the murders was his large consumption of sugary foods.
Attempts of city officials and spokesmen for the homosexual . community to calm the crowd were unsuccessful.
By 11 p.m., the police called in to reinforce their comrades had secured the City Hall area, making
numerous arrests. And by midnight the crowd began to disperse, leaving behind damage estimated at $250,000.
Homosexuals were not the only ones angered by the verdict. Mrs. Feinstein voiced the outrage and "disbelief" of thousands at a news conference 15 minutes after the decision was announced.
"As far as I'm concerned, these were two murders," she said, her eyes glistening. She heard the shots
that killed Milk and discovered his body. And she was a witness for the prosecution at White's trial
Other officials also condemned the verdict and expressed concern about repercussions.
The jury's foreman explained the more lenient finding by saying that "no one could come up with any evidence of premeditationsto justify a verdict of first-degree murder. "We ruled it out quickly," he said.
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