A 1989 confrontation between SFPD and ACT UP protesters in San Francisco's Castro District that drew comparisons to the Stonewall riots and resulted in legal settlements.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 6, 1989
- Officers involved
- approximately 200 SFPD officers
- Arrests made
- 53
- Injuries
- 14, including 4 officers
- Settlement paid
- approximately $200,000 to victims
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Members of ACT UP, a direct action group advocating for people with AIDS, marched from San Francisco's Federal Building to the Castro District to protest the U.S. government's response to the AIDS pandemic. After the march concluded at Castro and Market Street, additional protesters and onlookers staged sit-ins and die-ins, leading police to declare the gathering an unlawful assembly.
At around 8 p.m. on October 6, 1989, approximately 200 SFPD officers moved to clear the Castro District streets, resulting in a police riot. Officers used force against protesters, making 53 arrests and injuring 14 people, including four officers. Police withdrew from the area by 10 p.m. and protesters later dispersed.
Police Chief Frank Jordan suspended, demoted, or reassigned involved officers, and Mayor Art Agnos condemned the event as unacceptable. LGBT media compared the sweep to the 1969 Stonewall riots. Subsequent lawsuits resulted in the city paying roughly $200,000 in settlements to victims.