the crowd chants 'no more violence' as windows shatter
broken glass, the gates are crashed
police are absent, media not
red on white reads 'stop the attacks'
a young woman cries 'we want Milk'
the others agree, 'unite or be weak'
microphones, from where did they come
another young woman caresses a bullhorn
she shouts to the people
people who heave at the city doors
popping glass spills like hail
bullhorn mouth brings reaction
another window breaks
artificial mouth shouting
lights in City Hall burn
who is inside?
seven hundred raised fists
as Diane grabs hold of the horn
Feinstein without audio
'let her speak' but she isn't heard
"'i don't want my death to be avenged,' he said"
someone on the Hall balcony holds a lit match
there's standing atop of cars, pouncing
'he got away with murder,' they sing
the jury has decided
the atmosphere is festive
pot is in the air
people smiling
a girl rubs on lipstick
a dozen people on the cars
Diane is gone, police haven't come
the crowd gets louder
'standing on a car, no matter,' says a young man
fondling two candles in the air
'Dan White ate a Twinkie,
now lets bring the candy'
memories of Stonewall
the speaker is real and captures the crowd
talking of gay five-year-olds
i hear a guitar, more pot in the sky
'fight back, fight back, fight back,' they chant
'we are queer and we should be together' is the battle cry
a drunk asks me for a dime
asleep in the park when the noise began
the crowd is now one thousand
there's talk of D.C., Diane's house, the prison grounds
the car that i lean on is trampled by feet
'fuck you, Feinstein,' now it's her fault
slang and cursing, kissing and smoking
'the D.A. said this is how the system works'
'fuck the system, fuck the system,' the echo grows
this place has lost its little organization
the heart on the steps has lost its definition
suggestions wanton, laughing, shouting, glass breaking
'let's get White, let's get White,' say party-goers around the piano
like the New York blackout, it is just for kicks now
violence is building, things are being thrown
the crowd now two thousand
the police are here wearing crash helmets
surrounding City Hall under siege
'White was a cop, White was a cop,' say voices in the chaos
a newspaper box is thrown to the ground
the crowd makes its noise part of their own
a fire is set, the police back off
more windows crash, the crowd in a frenzy
thirty lock-armed cops move in slowly like heavy honey
they ebb backwards to the edge of the building
an area of truce formed upon the steps
more windows crash
i stand in a muddy puddle watching
whistles are blown, trash cans are ablaze
'i got one of the windows,' a girl boasts loudly
they'd like to burn down City Hall
as the man on the balcony smokes a leisurely cigarette
missiles are thrown
pigeons are flying confused from under the terrace
they must wonder what they have done to deserve this
this is fun
the people are angry but they are smiling
if the police rushed them, there would be bloodshed
no one has been injured yet
nobody is leaving, nobody walks away
this is national news
almost every window in City Hall is busted
yet only two dozen people are dragging it down
while two thousand people chat and party
there must be plenty cops inside the Hall
the police have acted in the safest way possible
but if the people enter the Hall, there will be blood for sure
i hope nobody tries to enter
middle class white gay minority
the man on the balcony has gone
a TV camera, a microphone appears
this is a spectacle, everyone knows it
more slap-happy than angry
as a tree goes up in flames and smoke
i smell burning leaves
a parking meter ripped from the ground
used as a battering ram
an hour and a half has passed
on the corner of Polk and Grove
the police have blocked off the side streets
the action contained to the front of the Hall
'let them break the windows,' says a cop with stripes
'contain them and let them burn themselves out'
this is the strategy
the media is protected behind police lines
they tell me to move back though i hold a pen, not a rock
i don't have a badge so i have been branded
i move across the street away from shielded loveless eyes
they tell me 'go home'
tear gas pops
the police are here in force
an ambulance waits near the library
a dozen motorcycle police have come
the crowd has dispersed but for some heaving stones
'if you don't want to be involved, step back,' says a sargent
the riot is cracked into two, lookers and doers
the lookers shout from their place across the street
the rioters at the Hall entrance have a park behind them
but the police are surrounding the park
a car is ablaze by City Hall
the air smells of burning rubber
a dozen police car sirens wail and burn across the street
people are running
police are chasing
i sit on the library steps
\but now the library is under attack
'not the library,' i hear one stray voice say
the people are running
the police are chasing, not looking, not caring
the boom of gas tanks exploding
tanks exploding gas boom boom rubber gas
smell scream run away, they run away
fire here, bottles thrown there, here and there
running crazy away running police clubs fire fire
into the night the fires expand, the people spread out
cancer fire cancer crash boom boom boom
blowing blowing
off into the night
smiles and whistles off into the night
San Francisco
May 21, 1979
Revised August, 2016
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