The Compton's Cafeteria Riot occurred in August 1966 in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.

The inhabitants of Port Townsend, Washington Territory, are intensely excited in consequence of the removal of the Custom-house to Port Angelo, the new port created by Congress, and which is opposite to Victoria. "[5] At that point the riot began, dishes and furniture were thrown, and the restaurant's plate-glass windows were smashed. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com, The 2020 San Francisco exodus is real, and historic, report shows. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The probabilities are that the Republicans will secure a majority in the Legislature, though the contest bids fair to be a close one. Crushed Sugar, to arrive, at 15c. Port Angelo has no population and no houses, but has a good harbor. Little disposition is manifested to extend operations in merchandise as the high rates demanded. The Breckinridge Democrats make no nominations for the Legislature, and will support the Union, or Latham ticket, in the different counties of the State. He was formerly Senior Editor at The Bold Italic and has written for The Atlantic, Vice and McSweeney's. Most of the fights occurred from 2-3 am so they were forced to close at midnight. The reason for this change is likely a combination of a few unprecedented factors that have collided this summer, resulting in a historic shift in the city. Toutefois, les articles qui ont été écrits à propos de l'émeute ont été grandement exagérés et dramatisèrent la réalité. Transgender people finally stood up to the abuse and discrimination by police officers. This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Because cross-dressing was illegal at the time, police could use the presence of transgender people in a bar as a pretext for making a raid and closing the bar. It is clear that social forces—systematic marginalization and discrimination—have forced these women into prostitution, the only viable source of income. ", It was dangerous for queer folks to exist back in 1966 as there were no equality laws and LGBT people were considered "perverts" and "mental cases". Zillow economist Josh Clark tells SFGATE that the remote work shift alone has not sparked the exodus. The demonstration ended with the newly installed plate-glass windows being smashed again.
Furthermore, transgender people found themselves locked out of most "respectable" jobs and were often forced to turn to prostitution to survive. A lesbian group of street people was also formed called the Street Orphans.[7]. ; Threatened Emeute at Port Townsend, Washington Territory. Two things that could drive the difference are San Francisco’s density and its smaller share of family households.". Police officers were known to mistreat transgender people. The two visit the site and lie down together next to the historical marker. "It may be tempting to credit the city of San Francisco’s inventory boom to the advent of remote work that came with the pandemic, but one only has to look at to San Jose to question that narrative," Clark said. Loss $25,000; insured $7,000. [8] On the first night of the riot, the management of Compton's called the police when some transgender customers became raucous. In episode three, her tenant and friend Shawna Hawkins (Ellen Page) learns about the riot from new friend Claire Duncan (Zosia Mamet). It was followed by drag queens pouring into the streets, fighting back with their high heels and heavy bags. "Whereas in similar cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., declining or flat inventory is a consistent trend within and outside the city limits. See the article in its original context from. It marked the beginning of transgender activism in San Francisco.. "San Francisco" in the, Sears, Clare. Zillow. Following the Compton's riot(s), a queer youth group by the name of Vanguard orchestrated some notable actions. Even churches, like Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco, began reaching out to the transgender community. San Francisco is spotted with fires, vandalism and violence tonight; and the social web is showing us every gruesome detail. "[5], The cafeteria was open all hours until the riots occurred. FROM SAN FRANCISCO. Historically, the ratio of homes for sale relative to total housing has been a quarter of New York's. The women who had to sell sex to survive complained of police harassment and abuse by customers. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. According to Susan Stryker, Compton's Cafeteria riot was “the first known incident of collective militant queer resistance to police harassment in U.S. Gold in considerable quantities is arriving at Los Angelos from the new Colorado mines, situated southeastwardly of the Colorado River, sixty miles north of Fort Yuma, and one hundred miles south of the Mohave, and extending indefinitely into an unexplored country, occupied by hostile Indians. About fifty Vanguard members took to the streets of the Tenderloin with push brooms borrowed from the city. SAN FRANCISCO, Thursday, Aug. 21. [8] Although the picket was unsuccessful, it was one of the first demonstrations against police violence directed towards transgender people in San Francisco.

Vanguard's politics highlighted “the issues facing gay and transgender youth in the 1960s produced radical insights into the connections between economic class, police violence, incarceration, and homophobia.”[11], In early Autumn of 1966, Vanguard hosted a historic “street sweep” in response to the events at Compton's. Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria. The jobbing trade is good considering the season. [14][15][16] In August 2016, a number of events were held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the riot, including a gathering in Boeddeker Park in the Tenderloin. After Giants’ World Series Win, San Francisco Erupts in Riots mashable.com. [19][20], In the first episode of the 2019 Netflix miniseries Tales of the City, Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis) receives a photograph of herself in front of Compton's, taken shortly after she had arrived in San Francisco. Cet événement a été la première « révolte » transgenre dans l'histoire de États-Unis d'Amérique, trois ans d'avance sur le plus célèbre émeutes de Stonewall eu lieu dans New-York en 1969. The incident was one of the first LGBT-related riots in United States history, preceding the more famous 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. A large portion of the town of Bear Valley, on Major-Gen. FREMONT's Mariposa estate, including the St. Charles Hotel and the Government block, were destroyed by fire on the 17th inst. [17][18] In 2017, the City of San Francisco recognized the Compton's Transgender Cultural District, the world’s first legally recognized transgender district. [11], Many held handmade signs reading “Fall Clean Up: This Is a Vanguard Community Project”, and “All trash is before the broom,” pushing against the idea that they, as people, were in any way disposable or unworthy of human dignity. Rents in SF continue to drop at historic rates. they appeared more feminine and could get jobs as dancers or singers). [6], Many of the militant hustlers and street queens involved in the riot were members of Vanguard, the first known gay youth organization in the United States founded in 1965, which gained the help of radical ministers working with Glide Memorial Church, a center for progressive social activism in the Tenderloin for many years. The group of queer youth—many transgender, many engaged in survival sex work and without stable housing—had formed as a social and political group beginning in 1965. [2] According to the director of Screaming Queens, Susan Stryker, the cafeteria "erupted. [2] In response to police arrests, the transgender community launched a picket of Compton's Cafeteria. Online real estate company Zillow released new statistics shining a stark light on the issue this week. "Nobody cared whether we lived or died. The world's first thrill ride once towered over... 1890 Queen Anne was built for $3,500, now asks $1.9M. [2] Dozens of people fought back against the police who forced them into paddy wagons.
This, combined with the fact that most entertainment venues, eateries and bars in the city have closed, has given many residents — particularly tech employees and transplants — little reason to stay, when more spacious, literally greener pastures beckon in (relatively) less costly regions in California such as Lake Tahoe or Palm Springs. They initially formed under the Glide Memorial Church, a radical offshoot of the United Methodist Church. The steamer Cortez, a former California coaster, was destroyed by fire at Shanghai on the 24th of June. [9] When one of these known officers attempted to arrest one of the trans women, she threw her coffee in his face. [13], Serving as an overseer to the NTCU was Sergeant Elliott Blackstone, designated in 1962 as the first San Francisco Police Department liaison to what was then called the "homophile community." Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings, SFGATE Local Editor Andrew Chamings grew up in Devon, England and moved to San Francisco in 2007. Sailed, steamer Sonora, for Panama, with 130 passengers, and $920,000 in treasure for New-York, and $500,000 for England. [8], On June 24, 2016, at the conclusion of the San Francisco Trans March, a new street sign was unveiled, renaming the 100 block of Taylor Street to Gene Compton's Cafeteria Way. [21], Coordinates: 37°47′00″N 122°24′39″W / 37.78333°N 122.41083°W / 37.78333; -122.41083, Gene Compton's Cafeteria Riot 40th Anniversary Historical Marker at corner of Taylor and Turk in San Francisco, In 1959 a smaller riot broke out in Los Angeles, when drag queens, lesbians, gay men, and transgender people who frequented, Boyd, Nan Alamilla (2004). Eventually, they stopped trying to seek employment elsewhere, though some “fortunate” ones were saved from the dangers of street prostitution because they could “pass” (i.e. history." They ended up in the profession, many of them lamented, because they faced job discrimination. They did so in protest, a direct response to the routine practice of police “sweeping” the streets of known queer neighborhoods—such as the Tenderloin—to remove all the queer people. They threatened resistance, and only gave up the Custom-house records when the war ship Shubrick threatened to fire a broadside on them in case of any further demonstrations.

She said, "A lot of people thought we were sick, mental trash," says Elizondo, who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1974.