July 5, 1934: 89 years ago, July 5 1934, San Francisco police opened fire on striking [...]
89 years ago, July 5 1934, San Francisco police opened fire on striking maritime workers, leaving two dead. The day, which became known as Bloody Thursday, was the immediate catalyst for the San Francisco General Strike, which saw almost all work in the city cease for 4 days Maritime workers …
May 23, 1936: 88 years ago, May 23 1936, left-wing avant-garde composer Henry Cowell was [...]
88 years ago, May 23 1936, left-wing avant-garde composer Henry Cowell was arrested in Menlo Park on a “morals” charge stemming from a gay sexual encounter. Cowell, who was raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown by bohemian anarchist parents, spent four years in San Quentin One of the most influential composers …
July 20, 1936: 87 years ago, July 20 1936, San Francisco police raided pioneering drag [...]
87 years ago, July 20 1936, San Francisco police raided pioneering drag club Finocchio’s, arresting 10 people (including 4 performers) and causing 120 patrons to flee. The raid led Finocchio’s, which also operated as a hub for queer sex work, to relocate to North Beach
August 11, 1937: 85 years ago, Aug 11 1937, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) [...]
85 years ago, Aug 11 1937, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) issued a charter for the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, officially founding the ILWU. Today, the ILWU represents over 45,000 workers on the Pacific West Coast and in Hawaii One of the most progressive unions in the country, …
December 16, 1938: 85 years ago, Dec 16 1938, thousands of mostly Chinese demonstrators [...]
85 years ago, Dec 16 1938, thousands of mostly Chinese demonstrators marched to the San Francisco waterfront to picket the loading of scrap iron onto a Greek freighter bound for Japan. Longshoremen with ILWU Local 10 refused to cross the picket and ceased work for several days The pickets were …