San Francisco, California, March 31,
1979 — Off duty police officers celebrating the marriage of fellow officer Bernard
Shaw at his “stag” party went looking for more celebration after the party
broke up.
So 15 men forced
their way into the well-known lesbian bar Peg’s Place next door. The entry of intoxicated
men was not a welcome event, especially when they knocked down the doorwoman and assaulted bartender Alene Lavine, who told them to leave.
Bar owner Linda Symaco also tried
to stop the men and was attacked with a pool cue. Witnesses said the police were yelling they were going
to get the dykes and started trying to tear the bar apart. Women patrons did
their best to stop them and told the intruders that the police were on their
way; the off-duty cops were said to have laughed and told the bartender they
were the cops.
Uniformed men did come and did
force their fellow officers out of Peg’s Place. However, getting the men out of
the bar was just part of the problem for the police. Soon, there were accusations of cover-up by
the San Francisco Police Department because of how the assaults were handled.
Two officers were charged, as well as a civilian.
Officer Daniel Marr was allowed
to leave that night, even though he was allegedly the man who wrestled Lavine to
the floor, injuring her. Lavine was hurt badly enough that she had a 10-day stay
in the hospital. Officer Andrew Citizen was also let go that night, even though
witnesses said he was beating a woman named Katherine Miller. An officer, Mike
Kelly, choked Symaco, who spent 17 days in the hospital, according to witnesses
spoken to by the media. Intoxicated civilian Kevin Guerin was allowed to leave
the scene.
The night of the incident, there
were no arrests of the invading men, no statements taken, after what was another in a string of
violent attacks on the LBGTQ community since the murders of San Francisco Mayor George
Moscone and Board Supervisor Harvey Milk by former Board Supervisor and
policeman Dan White. The murders divided the city as White was a popular
supervisor and had a lot of support, especially by people who were bigoted
towards gays.
Symaco, Laving, and Miller hired
legal representation in the form of Tom Steel, who had a history of fighting for
gay civil rights. Their lawsuit initiated an investigation by the Police Chief and
anger from Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein and District Attorney Joseph
Frietas.
“I assumed the chief would have
assigned a vigorous investigation,” said Freitas in an interview. “I assure you
I will not assume things about the chief again.”
Officer Marr and Citizen were
eventually charged with battery and disturbing the peace, as was the civilian
Guerin. These were misdemeanors; Officer Mike Kelly was not charged with
anything after assaulting Symaco. Marr ended up being the only one convicted, and he had to pay a $1,000 fine and do 200 hours of community service. Both
officers received short suspensions but kept their jobs.
While the LBGTQ community was
enraged by these soft charges, the San Francisco Police Officers Association
felt that these charges were egregious. SFPOA Vice-president Paul Chignell
spent two years speaking out against the mayor, DA, and Police Chief Charles
Gain. Chignell acted as an enemy of Frietas because the DA was hard on police
officers who crossed the line.
The assault on Peg’s Place joined
an ever-growing list of violent events towards gays that began to change public
perception. While the AIDS epidemic was just a few years away, the violent
events of the 1970s showed the often-vicious prejudice the gay community faced.
Symaco, Lavine, and Miller got some
justice for their injuries and the threats they received in 1985 when the San
Francisco Police Commission paid them $75,000 in restitution.
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