clothes, gave the pro-arranged signal for the raid at the Tay-Bush after observing things from inside for an hour. He said he was influenced by the sight of 25 couples dancing, and only one person was a woman.

So the spark that turned in the "fire alarm" was the sight of men dancing with men a "fire hazard" indood. That men were dancing with men is denied by the owner, who says with so many in so small a place it would be an impossibility. That if men were dancing with men and such was more important to the police than the "safety" of those present is a sorry commentary. That men dancing with men constitutes "lewd dancing" any more than men dancing with women is also open to question. That Mayor George Christopher is still smarting from the ambarrassment he has suffered by the "gay bar" police bribe cases and the Wolden accusations that "organized homosexuals" have flourished under his regime is very apparent.

His comment after a meeting with Bissinger following the arrests: "We found as always that some arrests are very difficult of prosecution because courts demand total, complete, and unequivocal evidence, but we think we're on the right track."

The "right track," Mr. Mayor, would be to recognize that San Francisco has a very able Fire Department, quite capable of dealing with hazardous conditions which come under its jurisdiction. The "right track" would be to define the duties and draw the line where the jurisdiction of one department ends and the other begins. For too long San Francisco has been subjected to interdepartmental bungling as in the use of fire hoses by the police department in the so-called "student riots" and in the arrest of 103 persons to circumvent a fire hazard.

The "right track," Mr. Mayor, would be to allow San Francisco's Fire Department to function. They know better than to fight fire with fire. There's water and sometimes there is negotiation, admission of orror and the desire to alleviate undesirable conditions. And sometimes there may even be understanding and progress!

Del Martin