San Francisco’s Bay Area Flashmob struck again this past Saturday in Jane Warner Plaza giving us Janet Jackson realness in honor of the Diva’s birthday (May 16th). Check it out!

Pres. Obama presents Stuart Milk Harvey Milk’s Medal of Freedom. Photo; Examiner

In August of 2009 President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Mayor of Castro Street, Harvey Milk, the highest honor any civilian can receive from these United States-the coveted Medal of Freedom.

Stuart Milk, Harvey’s nephew and head of the international human rights focused, Harvey Milk Foundation, accepted the medal on behalf of his family and Uncle.

Bestowing the award the President said:

“Harvey Bernard Milk dedicated his life to shattering boundaries and challenging assumptions. As one of the first openly gay elected officials in this country, he changed the landscape of opportunity for the nation’s gay community. Throughout his life, he fought discrimination with visionary courage and conviction. Before his tragic death in 1978, he wisely noted, “Hope will never be silent,” and called upon Americans to stay true to the guiding principles of equality and justice for all. Harvey Milk’s voice will forever echo in the hearts of all those who carry forward his timeless message.”

In 2011 the White House announced that they were creating the Harvey Milk Champions of Change Award to be given out annually to deserving LGBT elected or appointed government officials who strive to carry on the legacy of Harvey Milk. Qualified individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to both equality and public service. These awards are presented by the President to individuals on Harvey Milk’s birthday, May 22, at the White House.

Nominations for this honor are derived from people around the country submitting via emailing their suggestions directly to the White House. Final selections of honorees fell to the POTUS and his staff.

This year 10 deserving LGBT Americans will receive this accolade. They come from seven different states and both major political parties. Though none are from San Francisco three are from Harvey’s beloved adopted state of California. They are:

• State Senator, Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens); In 2012, Lara, a native of East LA, became the first openly gay person of color elected to the CA. State Senate.
• Mayor Michael A. Gin (R-Redondo Beach); the first out Chinese-American mayor ever elected to office.
• CA. State Sec. of Natural Resources, John Laird (Santa Cruz); He has devoted nearly four decades to service to the State has broken down multiple barriers including in 1983 being the first openly Gay mayor and one of the CA’s first openly Gay elected official.

“The fact that three Californians are being honored is telling of the essential role that California plays in advancing equality,” Lara said.

You can watch the presentation live from the White House today at noon by clicking here.

The poster that appeared throughout the Castro and the City the day after White Night Riots.

Thirty four years ago tonight is the anniversary of the Castro’s White Night Riots. The mild nearly Summer, evening exploded in a fit of pent-up rage following the horrific news that Dan White had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to only a eight year prison term for shooting down Harvey Milk and George Moscone.

To add insult to injury the conviction happened the day before what would’ve been Harvey’s 49th birthday. What follows is a recounting of that event through quotes, pictures, reports, video and personal amalgamated remembrances of the historic event that followed. The White Night Riots was a turning point in both the Castro’s and the SF LGBT’s community’s history.

May 21st, 1979: The jury had been in deliberations for days. Prosecutors had asked for 1st degree murder with special circumstances that’d carry the death penalty if former SF Supe turned murderer, Dan White, was convicted. People were on edge. The City had been holding its collected breath since the murders of Mayor George Moscone and Milk. Harvey Milk’s election had represented to the local and worldwide LGBT community that equality could be possible when he took the office as an out member of the Board of Supervisors.

(L-R) Harvey Milk, George Moscone, Dan White

In the context of the times that Harvey Milk was elected one needs to understand the climate of the day when it came to Queers. A concerted effort was underway to overturn a new Gay rights ordinance in Miami/Dade County, FL led by the darling of the Far Right, former Miss America, Anita Bryant. Coors brewery openly discriminating against LGBT employees and bragged about it to the press. The Briggs Initiative had just been defeated in CA. that would’ve outlawed LGBT citizen’s from being teachers. It was common place for Gay people to be murdered, beaten, fired, thrown out of apartments, denied hospital visits with lovers, disowned by family, have children ripped from their care, falsely arrested/entrapped, victims of blackmail, forced into institutions or branded insane.

The Chronicle, May 21, 1979

Few public officials championed LGBT causes. The idea of a sitting POTUS being one of our most vocal supporters as is the case today was unimaginable. The post-Stonewall, modern LGBT rights movement was a decade old and while strides had been made, WE, as a people, were still getting our asses handed to us daily on every level.

Harvey’s District 5 (now Dist. 8) win here in San Francisco as a duly appointed Supervisor in one of America’s most beloved cities was huge. Many activists believed it sounded the bell to all who heard it that things were going to change for the better for our people at last. Their beliefs were quickly quashed when Harvey’s victorious stint as Supervisor was cut short by White’s rampage.

“..when White shot Harvey it was if as if he shot us all. When he cut down Moscone-the most pro Gay mayor this Ciity had ever elected-he sent a signal to LGBT allies that they were equally at risk…” -the late Hank Wilson, Activist

Dan White was viewed by many as the golden boy embodiment of the old school, SF politico power structure.  He was former SFFD, SFPD and had marketed himself as a ‘normal’ San Franciscan-the City’s last hope to keep it out of the hands of the freaks in his campaign for Supervisor. Now he sat in jail and his attorney had based his defense on White’s low blood sugar and over indulgence in pastries like Twinkies had led him to be imbalanced and temporarily insane at the time of the shooting. The premise was so outlandish a defense that local news reporters had a difficult time keeping a straight face when reporting on the trial.

Marching to express their outrage at the verdict. May 21, 1979

In the late afternoon of the 21st of May news reached the Castro from City Hall that Dan White had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter not the expected first degree murder and sentenced to eight years in prison. The community’s response was visceral. People were shaken and suddenly the last vestiges of progress that they felt they’d won was stripped away.

The crowd reaches City Hall and erupts. Photo: Jerry Pritkin

 ”When the news broke, everyone ran to Castro Street. We didn’t have cell phones or computers or time to print posters. It didn’t matter, everyone knew what to do. It was about 5:00pm. By the time the sun went down, Civic Center Plaza was littered with burning police cars, smoke and tear gas filled the air and thousands of furious lesbians and gay men fought the police throughout the city.” -Cleve Jones, Milk Aide, Activist

The community quickly gathered in the Castro. The rage filled the air. Within an hour 500 people amassed, then 1500 as people blocked the intersection of Market and Castro. An impromptu march about the neighborhood led by Cleve Jones, Harvey’s appointed replacement, Harry Britt, and Milk’s now widow, Scott Smith began.

“I remember it like It was yesterday-I was 14-in school with Moscone’s daughters who took the bus direct to the Castro … The birth of my activism.” -Julie Tolentino, Performer, Activist

SFPD cars set ablaze during Civic Center White Night Riot, May 21, 1979

Within blocks the march morphed into 2000 protestors-than 3000-by the time marchers neared Valencia heading toward City Hall SFPD estimated there was 5000. Those who took part dispute that number saying the march stretched back as far as the eye could see, up Market, boiling over the crest from Church St., making their number estimate closer to 10,000. An army of angry, howling, outraged Queers demanding justice for their beloved and lost leader.

 ..and the rage we all felt when the verdict was announced. I was having a late lunch at Church Street Station – that’s what the restaurant was called then at the corner of Church and Market. Someone ran by the restaurant banging on the windows, yelling “He got away with murder!” We were so angry – couldn’t believe it. I headed for Castro and Market, then marched to City Hall.” -Kim Corsaro, Huffington Post Columnist, former Publisher SF Bay Times

The march stormed toward City Hall and exploded in a riot of immense proportions. The adversarial SFPD was caught completely off guard by the battle ready, dykes, faggots, and trans-people they met determined to knock City Hall off it’s very foundation. SF police had never experienced Queer rage of this sort-no one had since Stonewall-and quickly retreated. Police cruisers were lit on fire. Property damaged. Every reachable City Hall windows smashed. The grief-stricken masses could not be sated once their stored up anger was uncorked.

Protestors framed by the fire light from 21 SFPD cars set ablaze on White Night. Photo: Danny Nicholetta

The riots and marches lasted for a great deal of the evening. Later that night a much chagrined SFPD attacked the Castro to exact revenge and to show those ‘faggots whose in charge’ as one journalist later reported overhearing an officer say. Members of the Riot Squad attacked citizen’s randomly in bars, specifically The Elephant Walk (now Harvey’s) injuring and arresting dozens.

“.. the thing that stands out for me was that after a point it really felt like martial law had been declared. After the demonstration and the rioting that followed, leaving Civic Center unscathed, I was walking up Market with friends, and it seemed to me, and it could be my imagination, but as far as the eye could see there were auxiliary cop cars from every surrounding province in the Bay Area and I knew things were about to get very bad in the Castro… “ -Danny Nicholetta, Harvey Milk’s close friend, Photographer

Protestors return to City Hall at midnight of the White Night Riots and are beaten by SFPD

The next morning as smoke from the burned out husks of 21 torched police cars still lingered in the San Francisco air LGBT leaders met and decided that there’d be no apology issued on behalf of our community for our actions. We, now faced with the injustice of Harvey’s killers lame conviction would not-under any circumstances-bow our heads in apology. No more Mr. & Ms. Nice Gay. A new day of SF Queer politics and activism had been born laying the ground work for later SF LGBT activist groups to come in the soon to be turbulent age of AIDS like ACT UP, Queer Nation, Stop AIDS Now or Else and the Lesbian Avengers.

“I was there that night and it was my first act of protest as a 20 year old Queer man. It politicized me in an indelible manner.” -Richard Knut Haggan, AIDS Activist & former Queer Nation member

The world may have come miles and evolved from where these Riots started but it’s still filled with violence and injustice. San Francisco has grown and it’s communities with it. Lessons can still be learned from those who fought so hard for the freedoms we now enjoy. To keep the goal of equality for all, beyond all borders, which Harvey Milk and George Moscone championed so well.

Sidewalk Pavement Details via SF Planning Department

Some of the commenters in our post regarding the final design for the Castro Street Redesign had some questions for the Planning Department that we could not answer. Nick Perry, Urban Designer and Project Lead for the Castro Street Design project, reached out to us to help answer some of those questions.

Q: The BAR reported that Castro history facts, LED lighting, mica sparkles, rainbow crosswalks, etc. did not make the final design cut.
A: They did not make the final design cut, which is true, however if bids come in low enough for the rest of the project, some of these additional enhancements may be included in the project.

Q: There was discussion about allowing businesses to place café tables and chairs on the new sidewalks. Where would this furniture go?
A: Café tables and chairs would be allowed in the Frontage Zone which is +/- 4 feet directly adjacent to the buildings and possibly in the Furnishings Zone (nearest the street) where trees, poles, bike racks, etc will be located.

Q: Will the furniture crowd up the sidewalk, defeating the purpose of widening the sidewalks?
A: No, the main Throughway Zone is 9 feet in width and is scored in a 3×3 pattern to distinguish it from the Frontage and Furnishing zones. The scoring will help the city regulate the space and keep it clear of obstructions. In addition, Throughway Zones will be 9 feet wide (around 3 feet wider than the current sidewalks) allowing for plenty of unobstructed foot-traffic.

Q: Will anybody be able to put out a table and some chairs?
A: Whether they’re in the frontage zone or furnishing zone, any tables and chairs placed by businesses would need to be permitted and approved by the City on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any other questions for the Planning Department regarding the improvements to Castro’s proposed streetscape redesign, let us know and we’ll try to get some answers for you!

Castro Theatre mid sign change. Photo: Flickr/Torbakhopper

This morning the Biscuit caught up on a few past posts we’ve been following but a big part of what makes the Castro so vibrant are all the events, party’s, nightclubs, protests, and quite often, day-to-day sights, that pass by while you wander among its streets and sidewalks.

We love keeping our calendar section full of many of these neighborhood events. Thanks to everyone whose submitted information-keep ‘em coming. Here are some pix from recent Castro happenings pulled from Flickr, Facebook, and the web.

Events: Joshua J & Juanita MORE!’s BCW at QBAR May 1st, 8th & 15th, Int’l Day Against Homophobia, Dick@Nite at Moby Dicks, Jock at the Lookout, Hi Tops, ALC Fundraiser at The Mix, Cinco de Mayo and SF SPCA’s Whole Enchihauhau 2013 at Dolores Park, Marc Huestis Presents: Mother’s Day with ‘Mommie Dearest’ feat. Rutanya Alda (Carol Ann) & hosted by Matthew Martin as Ms. Joan Crawford.

In a April post we reported SFPD was trying to skip around privacy laws by requiring new or established businesses applying for liquor licenses to install security cameras and record patrons entering or leaving establishments. To add insult to injury they also were saying that those videos be made available to them on demand and be kept for up to 30 days. Our Castro Supervisor, Scott Wiener, objected to these demands based on privacy concerns. He has now been joined in the debate of civil liberties vs. security by SF’s other out Supervisor, Dist. 9′s, David Campos.

SFPD’s idea of compromise: New language drafted still requires that new liquor licenses in high-crime areas install cameras. The difference would be that recordings would only need to be turned over when “requested as evidence in a criminal investigation” instead of “upon demand.” The rub there is SFPD has declared about over a third of the City ‘high-crime areas’. Supervisor Wiener has committed to keep at them looking for bigger concessions.

Supporters and Michael Petrelis (Center) and his lawyer, Dereck St, Pierre (Right) Photo: KTVU

Last December we first posted about activist/blogger Micheal Petrelis being arrested for taking pictures of Sup. Wiener in a bathroom brushing his teeth at City Hall and then posting the image on his blog, The Petrelis Files. In the subsequent six months the case has been continued repeatedly in a large part at the request of Mr. Petrelis’ lawyer, Derek St. Pierre, due to his client’s ongoing health issues.

At the most recent court hearing in front of Superior Court Judge Samuel K. Feng over at the Hall of Justice Mr. St. Pierre pushed for a disposition of the charges. That means both sides are trying to work things out without going to trial. If that doesn’t happen it’ll be up to a jury to decide if Mr. Petrelis violated Mr. Wiener’s privacy or not. Mr. Petrelis has been much more demure of late on all things Wiener but he’s continued to blog and work on other issues while all this has gone on including helping organize the first, reinstate Bradley Manning as Hon. Grand Marshal protest at SF Pride’s office. Both sides will be back in court on June 7th. Until then the court order keeping Petrelis 150 feet away from Wiener at all times continues to be in effect.

BeBe Sweetbriar Photo: MySpace

Latest Development: SF Pride’s maelstrom of controversy around who is or isn’t an Hon. Grand Marshal has continued as we’ve posted repeatedly in the last several weeks. Since they kicked Manning to the curb they needed to replace him. On Friday the SF Pride Committee announced their replacement pick: San Francisco drag superstar BeBe Sweetbriar. She is being honored for her charity work on LGBT issues and HIV/AIDS organizations.

“Ms. Sweetbriar is a shining exemplar of how the power of local community talent can so positively impact the lives of so many near and far,” SF Pride CEO Earl Plante said in a statement.

We congratulate Ms. Sweetbriar. She has worked tirelessly on behalf of all the LGBT community and is well deserving of this honor. She will bring her usual level of class, grace and enthusiasm to her role as Hon. Grand Marshal as she does for any event she is a part of.

If SF Pride Committee thinks will stem the controversy or deflate the outcry around Manning’s invite, disinvite, meeting/no meeting/canceled meeting on the issue, we’ll talk about it all later after Pride, they’re in for a rude awakening come Parade day.

There have been a large number of events going on in the Castro in the past couple of weeks-in a post later today we’ll have more to report and show you so check back this afternoon.

Pesce (2227 Polk Street); Photo: Yelp

Jake’s on Market (2223 Market Street)

Grubstreet reports that the popular Russian Hill Italian seafood restaurant Pesce (Italian for “fish”) will be coming to the Castro in the former Jake’s on Market location (2223 Market Street). The restaurant is moving because they’d like to find a larger space; many reviews on Yelp mention how tiny the current space is.

Pesce was listed in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 Restaurants of 2012 and is 4-star rated on Yelp with pretty good reviews. They’ll be joining three other seafood focused restaurants in the Castro including Catch, Anchor Oyster, and Woodhouse Fish Company. Anchor Oyster and Woodhouse are both pretty small and usually pretty busy, so a seafood restaurant that’s already earned its stripes and has a larger dining area will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

So far, they’re looking at an August opening date for the Castro location. We pulled down some photos of their dishes from Yelp that look pretty tasty. Check out the food porn in the gallery below.

“People’s board meeting” votes unanimously to reinstate Bradley Manning as SF Pride grand marshal. Photo: Liz Highleyman

Approximately 60 people gathered Tuesday for a “people’s board meeting” in front of the SF Pride office at Market and Pearl Street, to protest the Pride board’s revocation of Bradley Manning’s grand marshal election and its lack of accountability to the community.

As previously reported, last week more than 100 community members attempted to attend a Pride board meeting and give public comment about their support for the Wikileaks whistleblower. That meeting ended in chaos after only a handful of people were allowed in to speak, with board treasurer David Currie promising that a new meeting would be scheduled in a larger venue.

On Sunday the board cancelled a previously scheduled May 14 membership meeting, stating that its Manning decision was firm and a public meeting would not take place until after the June 30 Pride fest.

Undeterred, community members came together anyway to shame the absent board members — represented by empty chairs on the sidewalk — and offer the public testimony they were previously denied.

“Bradley Manning is one of the heroes of this generation of soldiers,” said Michael Wong of SF Veterans for Peace. “Soldiers have a duty to report wrongdoing.”

Njobe, an organizer of the SF Dyke March, encouraged people not to support Pride, urging, “Don’t give them your money!” While some activists have called for a boycott of this year’s festival, others favor a large pro-Manning contingent in the parade.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca reminded listeners that many of the people who started the Gay Liberation movement in the late 1960s came from the Vietnam antiwar movement. “We have long history of supporting people who used radical means to change society,” he said.

Kyles DeVries announced that a group of radical faeries have named Manning the first “Queen of the Faeries,” after which many in the assembled crowd moved to the LGBT Center across the street to participate in a Harvey Milk Club PAC forum on Pride and Manning.

-Update:

Sup. David Campos (Photo: SF Democratic Party Website)

Supervisor David Campos, District 9, has penned a letter to SF Pride asking for greater accountability and a better response to the community regarding the Bradley Manning decision. Much of Pride’s funding is dependent on City support which requires transparency in practice and deeds to qualify for those monies. Will this debacle effect Pride’s SF supplied budget? At post time there hasn’t been an official response from the Pride Board.

Here is Supervisor Campos’ letter to the Board:

To Executive Director Earl Plante, Board President Lisa Williams and members of the Board of Directors of San Francisco Pride:

I am writing to express my concern over the recent actions of the leadership of Pride in the wake of the controversy surrounding the naming of Private Manning as a Grand Marshall for this year’s parade. The decision to rescind this honor is unprecedented and the community has every right to be concerned about the consequences of this abrupt, top-down directive. Most importantly, however, is the obligation Pride has to be accountable, transparent and representative to the diverse LGBT community it serves. As an organization which receives City funding, Pride has a responsibility to operate with transparency and accountability, and to allow for timely appropriate discussions with the community as needed. The failure of Pride leadership to do so in this circumstance is contrary to this responsibility.

Controversy is not a new phenomenon to Pride festivities, nor is it a valid reason for Pride not to fulfill its responsibilities to the broader LGBT community. The recent statement made by Pride that the discussion on this matter is “closed” is disturbing, and may serve to further divide the community and foster long-lasting resentments.

I urge Pride to hold an open community discussion on the matter of Private Manning’s awarding and rescission as Grand Marshall, and ask that this meeting be held as soon as possible and before the June Pride festivities. We must remember that Pride was born as a tribute to the courage of the LGBT community, and walking away from this discussion is contrary to that legacy.

Sincerely,

Supervisor David Campos

Harvey Milk stencil by SF artist Jeremy Novy

As the Biscuit has reported several times since January, Supervisor David Campos (District 9), introduced the idea of renaming SFO in honor of slain civil rights leader and Castro icon, Harvey Milk. Now it seems the powers that be have come up with a compromise solution-a terminal within the airport to bear his name instead of the entire facility.

There have been heated debates, rallies and an outpouring of community support for the idea alongside some very organized opposition to Campos’ plan.

While the late Supervisor Milk and his legacy are revered in some circles others felt he didn’t deserve such a magnanimous gesture of having the airport re-tagged in his honor. Campos’ had five votes sewn up from fellow Supervisors to move forward with his rebranding bid but the all important sixth deciding vote eluded him. That vote would have to be supplied by one of the freshmen Supervisors and none seemed convinced it was in their constituents (or perhaps theirs political) best interest.

Note Terminal 1 the unofficial selection to be renamed for Harvey Milk. Photo: FlySFO.

Becoming convinced the job would be a raucous, uphill battle where the final decision for the name change would be placed before City voters in an off-year November ballot initiative Campos worked with Mayor Ed Lee to find a compromise-renaming one of SFO’s terminals in Harvey’s memory.

The plan now stands a committee composed of members hand-picked by the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor’s camps representing both of their interests would put together a proposal for how to make this all happen and come back with solid plans and goals within the next three months.

Supervisor Campos’ dream of having visitors to our City pass through Harvey Milk Airport has been whittled down, but, he believes his main goal-of teaching and honoring Harvey’s dream of equality and hope for all-can still be realized via the terminals prominence and position.

Which terminal is to be selected still remains to be seen. Currently Terminal One is amidst a remodeled and may be the easiest to transition in signage and other alterations to carry the late Supervisors moniker.

-Reminder the State of California’s official Harvey Milk holiday is May 22nd. Local celebrations are planned. Click the link to see what’s happening locally in the Castro.

The beautiful shrine to Harvey Milk assembled by members of the SF Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club at the 2012 Milk/Moscone Anniversary March at Castro and Market. Photo: Waiyde Palmer

The pilot written by Michael Lannan, Interior Leather Bar, was directed by Andrew Haigh who made the highly acclaimed film, Weekend, and stars Glee regular Jonathan Groff, New York stage actor, Frankie J. Alvarez, and former Guiding Light soap hunk, Australian, Murray Bartlett, playing the three principles.

Other particulars about the series, according to the Hollywood Reporter:

The pilot is based on Michael Lannan’s feature script Lorimer. Haigh will executive produce alongside Bored to Death’s Sarah Condon and Brothers and Sisters’ David Marshall Grant, with Lannan receiving a co-EP credit.

The untitled entry revolves around the three friends in San Francisco who explore the fun and sometimes overwhelming options available to a new generation of Gay men.  Production will begin in the fall in San Francisco for a 2014 premiere.

This is a good news for a number of reasons. The new series will help raise the number of LGBT themed shows-or shows with principle Gay characters-on television from its current level. It was recently announced that both The New Normal and Happy Endings would be cancelled at the end of the 2013 television season..

The loss of both shows has been claimed as victories by the neo-conservative and notoriously anti-Gay group, One Million Moms, a branch of the American Family Assoc., who’ve made it their mission to eradicate anything Queer off of the telly to ‘save the children’. Keeping Queer themed work available on television helps dismantle religious led bigotry and societal prejudice against the LGBT community by providing glimpses into our lives. It can provide isolated Queer youth with valuable visual confirmation that they are not alone in this world.

Series creator, Michael Lannan. Photo: IMBD

Additionally revenue brought in by the HBO shoot will help feed the always hungry local economy, lift the City’s star power another notch attracting even more lucrative television and film company’s to bring upcoming projects to town and provides work for SF actors, artisans, production and film workers.

Concerns have been leveled in countless blog comment sections-including this one-that the show will just be another all white male production unrepresentative of the City’s true LGBT population. Producers has been sensitive to that reality and cast an array of actors from multiple communities and set a Latino among it’s leading men.

Other commenters have expressed disdain at the idea that this will be a Queer version of Friends or Sex in the City. Time will tell if their criticism holds true, but for now, keep your eyes peeled for the production and it’s crew working around the Castro and City.

via Towleroad