Hunters Point social uprising (1966)
The National Guard and California Highway Patrol (CHP) were deployed late that night by Governor Pat Brown, and martial law was imposed until October 1.
The surrounding area, also known as "the ridge", was also called "devoid of amenities" for the lack of grocery stores, poor schools, and limited recreation facilities.
"[5] Federal funds for job programs were cut in September 1966, triggering an impromptu meeting between the youth of Hunters Point, city officials, and community leaders.
Mayor John Shelley sent a representative, who was threatened with physical harm if he returned with more empty promises; the Chamber of Commerce and major unions simply did not even show up to the meeting.
[8] According to the owner of the automobile, she had parked the car near Portola Junior High, from where it had been stolen at 11:36 A.M.; Bacon recalled hearing the fourth period lunch bell.
[8][11] A witness would later contradict Officer Johnson's statement, saying that all shots fired were aimed at Matthew[9] and the interview was carefully scripted to engender maximum sympathy for the police.
[1]: 3–4 The San Francisco Police Department was informed of the shooting at 3:10 P.M., and an ambulance from the Alemany Emergency Hospital responded by 3:14 P.M. A paramedic from the ambulance pronounced Matthew dead shortly after arrival, and the Coroner's office was called at 3:28 P.M. Matthew's body was removed at 3:50 P.M., and the automobile that sparked the shooting was towed to the impound yard at 3:55 P.M.[1]: 4–5 By 4:00 P.M., there were approximately 150 bystanders observing the proceedings, although they dispersed on their own at approximately 4:15.
[1]: 5 Later that afternoon, a group of approximately 40–60 young adults were observed at the Economic Opportunity Center (headquarters of the local Office of Economic Opportunity, at Third and Palou) loudly discussing plans to storm the Potrero Police Station (then located at Third and 20th), and Captain Harry Nelson, the commanding officer at Potrero, was called to meet with them and address their concerns.
A riot was declared in progress at 7:35 P.M.[1]: 7 Mayor John F. Shelley traveled to Potrero Station to meet with Police Chief Thomas J. Cahill and Supervisor Terry Francois, and they then drove to the Bayview Community Center (an annex built on the South San Francisco Opera House at Third and Newcomb) to address the crowd and plead for peace.
A thrown rock narrowly missed Mayor Shelley, and a motorcycle officer was struck in the face with a brick as they arrived at the Community Center.
[1]: 8–9 As noted later by Arthur Hippler, the "sweep" followed the contemporary standard practice of the SFPD, which was to herd African-American youths away from the remainder of San Francisco and isolate them in Hunters Point.
[2]: 210–211 Wary of further unrest, Chief Cahill ordered additional police officers to report for duty, and the California Army National Guard and CHP were alerted that their assistance may be needed.
[15] We cannot have revolution in this country and I can assure the people of my State that I will do everything within my power to see that law and order is observed and the rights of person and property are carefully protected.
By 7 A.M. on Wednesday, September 28, control had returned to Potrero Station and the situation was calm[11] until calls began at 9:30 A.M. reporting that crowds were gathering near the Bayview Community Center.
[22] After the shooting at the Bayview Community Center, National Guard troops staged at Candlestick were deployed to the area, marching north along Third, extending two blocks east and west.
Troops were equipped with fixed bayonets and completed the clean-up at 7:15 P.M.;[20] the area remained quiet for the remainder of Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, in the Fillmore, minor violence had been mostly suppressed by 9 P.M., with sporadic reports of window smashing and looting continuing until 3 A.M.[1]: 16–17 An unidentified Guardsman also stated that Wednesday night was "very uneventful" and the 8 P.M. curfew had been effective in keeping rioters off the streets.
[23] The curfew remained in effect until 6 A.M. on Thursday, September 29, but Highway Patrol and National Guard units were beginning to withdraw from San Francisco after Governor Brown held a press conference at 9:25 P.M. Violence throughout the daytime hours of Thursday was limited mainly to schools; inter-school athletic events were suspended and Washington High School was dismissed early.
[1]: 23–24 Mayor Shelley declared his suspicions during that same press conference on September 30 that "outside agitators" had been fomenting the riots, stating his contacts amongst the Hunters Point youth leaders had identified 17 young men who had entered the area from southern California and the East Bay.
[27] During the 128 hours that followed the killing of Matthew Johnson, 359 were arrested (many for curfew violations) and 51 were injured, including 6 police officers, 2 firefighters, and 1 municipal bus driver.
The tragedy is the fact that a substantial group of American citizens here in San Francisco and elsewhere have not yet received all the precious opportunities and rights they deserve according to the sacred guarantees of our democracy.
The time has come to do something about the things that caused this agony among us.A program to hire the unemployed drew immediate praise from Dick Gregory days after the state of emergency was over.
[31]: 5–6 Prior to the uprising, San Francisco had begun in 1965 to plan the redevelopment of 126 acres (51 ha) in the Butchertown meatpacking district adjacent to the Hunters Point projects.
[33] The Kerner Commission released its report on February 29, 1968 detailing the causes for the race riots of 1967, many of which echoed the underlying reasons for the Hunters Point social uprising:[34] In June 1968, Edward S. Montgomery, an investigative reporter for the San Francisco Examiner, testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities that "agitational activities were conducted prior to the riots" by several organizations, which he named as the Direct Action Group, the Ad Hoc Committee To End Discrimination, the Progressive Labor Party, the W.E.B.
[35]: 2111 President Lyndon Johnson assigned Joseph A. Califano, W. Willard Wirtz, and Sargent Shriver to work on sending federal funds to address what Mayor Shelley called "the critical unemployment situation" among African-Americans in San Francisco.
[36] The Hunters Point Social Uprising was one of the subjects covered in Our Part of Town, a 1994 production at the Bayview Opera House based on oral histories compiled by Heidi Hardin.
