Hey LGBT old timers were any around SF for this?

[mitchtv]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_symbols

On Halloween night (31 October), 1969, sixty members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and the Society for Individual Rights (SIR) staged a protest at San Francisco's Examiner in response to another in a series of news articles disparaging LGBT people in San Francisco's gay bars and clubs.<1><2> The "peaceful protest" against the "homophobic editorial policies" of the San Francisco Examiner turned "tumultuous" and was called "Friday of the Purple Hand" and "Bloody Friday of the Purple Hand".<3><4><5><6><2> Examiner employees "dumped a bag of printers' ink from the third story window of the newspaper building onto the crowd".

I narrowly escaped spending time in jail that day, I was lucky there were a lot of leaders that day, more willing to step up to the SFPD than I.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_symbols#_note-Gay_Power_Politics

[LeftCoast]

1. I never heard about this!

Surprising considering I live in SF! Thanks for the info!

[MuseRider]

2. They dumped ink on them?

Jeesus! I guess it is better than boiling oil but what in the hell were they thinking?

[mitchtv]

3. Did you see the symbol?

The purple ink got all over everything , so we started wiping it off on the Building walls. when the tac Squad came in most of us just ran, as we all had plans for later

[MuseRider]

4. I had not read the link yet

and was reading it just now when I saw your response.

I like the purple hand, I really do. I might have to change my avatar to that when I finally get over the loss of DK as a candidate. I have never seen it used before. Is there a reason it is not or is it just because I don't look in the usual places you might see these symbols? I keep learning more and more.

So, you were there. Wow! Really, I hate that it got so bad but I find myself so inspired by those that man the lines. I almost wept when ThomCat took me to Stonewall last summer. The little park across the street with the statues was just beautiful but I digress....do tell more.

[mitchtv]

5. lemme see if I can display this..

nope?


if not, oh well, I tried

[MuseRider]

6. This?

[mitchtv]

7. yup

who'dda thought that it came from a great big mess?

[MuseRider]

8. Really.

It is amazing how things like that happen. I really like it. Once I have time I think I will try to shrink it and use it as an avatar.

Any more to tell us about that incident since you were there?

[mitchtv]

10. sorry what is in Wiki is about all that happened that day

I wil testify that it was all true. I often wonder what happened to all the guys I ran around with, We also took over and Sat in Jan Wenner's office at rolling stone magaine for the same reason Homophobic articles, Yes, The Rolling Stone Mag.No much more happened that day. They did not call the cops, everyone got bored and went home after we made our point, and they eventually came around

[mitchtv]

11. Correction I do have something

but since I really don't type it will take awhile

[David Zephyr]

9. I was only 16 and stuck in Texas then.

What a great story! Thanks for sharing it. I wish I could have been there, but I was just a sweet little 16 then and stuck in Houston. However...

The very next year I hitch-hiked to L.A. and took a job as a short order cook on Skid Row in L.A. and working part time at the L.A. Free Clinic where I saw a lesbian about my age wearing a "Gay Pride" pink button pinned just above her breast. She made me more proud that single moment with her little button than I think I'd ever been to that day.

I wish I could have been there with you at "Bloody Friday of the Purple Hand".