By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis
(Cross-posted from the #VotePetrelis campaign site.)
In the annals of bloody misconduct by members of the San Francisco Police Department, the events of October 6, 1989, and the Castro Sweep ranks high on anyone's list.
It was a national day of protest organized by people with HIV/AIDS and our allies for access to drugs and more government funding, and before the night was over the SFPD had harmed and bloodied many LGBT and poz people with dozens arrested.
For a short and comprehensive look back at what transpired during the Castro Sweep exactly 25 years ago, check out this page with eyewitness accounts, photographs and a video: tinyurl.com/Castro-Sweep-25-years-ago.
Here's how the #VotePetrelis team will commemorate the important 25th anniversary of the Castro Sweep:
WHAT: Vigil & Speakout
WHEN: Monday, October 6th
TIME: 6 pm to 7 pm
WHERE: Castro & 18th Streets
We'll be out that night to remind everyone of contemporary concerns such as the fatal shooting of Alex Nieto by the SFPD, the gentrification of District 8 and eviction epidemic, lack of affordable housing for low income people and artists, the dwindling diversity of the Castro, harassment of homeless and poor people, and the negative impacts of Google buses clogging our streets
The Castro Sweep was big news among gay and AIDS activists, and to assist the survivors of the police assaults with their legal and medical bills, tee shirts were marketed reading:
"My domestic partner went to the Castro, and all I got was this bloody t-shirt. Night of Resistance, October 6, 1989."
This photo and activist apparel courtesy of the GLBT Historical Society.
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