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Throughout the 1940s and \u201950s, the House Un-American Activities Committee\u2019s attempts to root out communists in America led to the creation of the Hollywood blacklist and countless shattered lives. But a 1960 protest in San Francisco against the committee turned into a violent confrontation \u2014 and marked the beginning of an era of student-led protests and social unrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After being blocked from a local HUAC hearing for two days, demonstrators \u2014 mostly students \u2014 tried to rush the chambers, and police opened up fire hoses against them on the main staircase of City Hall<\/a>. The Chronicle had at least three photographers there, capturing photos of the chaos. In anticipation of the 60th anniversary, a search through the newspaper\u2019s archive of photo negatives turned up images that didn\u2019t make it into the original coverage, as well as a compelling first-person account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The San Francisco hearings in May 1960 focused on teachers and local labor leaders. The first session, on May 12, was tumultuous, with opponents of the committee largely blocked from the hearing chambers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere were about 150 passes, and I distributed them to individuals \u2014 to keep the Commies from stacking the meeting,\u201d Committee investigator William Wheeler told reporters. \u201cWe want some decent people here.\u201d Those opposed to the hearings who did make it into the chambers protested loudly. More than a dozen were expelled from the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, at Union Square, more than 1,000 people gathered to rally against the committee, including notable San Franciscans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese unjustly conducted hearings not only damage individuals, but also our society,\u201d said the Rev. Richard Byfield of Grace Cathedral. Phillip Burton<\/a>, then a member of the state Assembly, told the crowd that \u201cno legislative committee should have the power to place people in calumny of the community without going through due process of law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things exploded on Day 2. When it became obvious the hearing was again being limited to supporters, about 200 protesters rushed toward the chambers\u2019 doors on the second floor of City Hall. Dozens of police ordered them to back up and be quiet. Inspector Michael Maguire ordered fire hoses to be unrolled. A police officer was hit with his own club, and protesters continued to push forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hoses came on, driving the students toward the stairs. In his first-person account for The Chronicle, writer George Draper noted that some of the protesters were able to stand against the water hoses \u201clike so many trees in a hurricane\u201d but the water made the marble steps \u201cslick as ice\u201d and some stumbled. Others linked arms and chanted: \u201cWe shall not be moved.\u201d The water cascaded down the staircase and flooded the main floor of City Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSomeone ordered the hoses turned off and the police line broke and came swarming down the stairs at the mob,\u201d Draper wrote. \u201cIn a matter of seconds the enormous stairway was alive with struggling groups in wild confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n More police arrived as the melee ensued. They waded in with clubs and some forcibly carried or dragged the protesters down the stairs and out of the building. The conflict lasted about a half-hour. By the end, 12 people went to the hospital, including eight police officers and three protesters with head injuries. More than 60 people were arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mayor George Christopher<\/a>, appalled by the violence, met with Police Chief Thomas Cahill and a half-dozen student leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe police turned the hoses on without warning, and they dragged out girls and women by the legs all the way down the marble staircase, banging their heads,\u201d student Mildred Stiefel told Christopher. After the meeting, the mayor and police chief set out strict rules for the final day of the hearings, locking the building doors and limiting protests to outside City Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About 5,000 protesters and an army of police arrived outside City Hall for the last day of the hearings, but it would be a relatively uneventful day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Footage of the conflict was turned into a film accusing the students of being \u201cRed dupes.\u201d It backfired spectacularly. \u201cFor a lot of students it was a turning point,\u201d Marty Hittelman, who was in the hearing room that day, told Carl Nolte<\/a> years later. \u201cPeople saw that film and said, \u2018I\u2019m going to Berkeley! I want to be a part of this movement. I want to be a part of change.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n HUAC never held a hearing outside Washington, D.C., again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the Archive is a weekly column by\u00a0<\/em>Bill Van Niekerken<\/em><\/a>, the library director of The Chronicle, exploring the depths of the newspaper\u2019s archive. It\u2019s part of\u00a0<\/em>Chronicle Vault<\/em><\/a>, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting more than 150 years of San Francisco stories. It is edited by\u00a0<\/em>Taylor Kate Brown<\/em><\/a>, The Chronicle\u2019s newsletter editor. Sign up for the newsletter\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em><\/a>, and follow\u00a0<\/em>Chronicle Vault on Instagram<\/em><\/a>. Contact Bill at\u00a0<\/em>bvanniekerken@sfchronicle.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and Taylor at\u00a0<\/em>taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill Van Niekerken is the Library Director of the San Francisco Chronicle. He does research for reporters and editors and manages the photos, negatives and text archives. He has a weekly column \u201cFrom the Archive\u201d, that focuses on photo coverage of historic events. For this column Bill scans and publishes 20-30 images from photos and negatives that haven\u2019t been seen in many years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill started working at the Mercury News in 1980, when nothing in news libraries was digital. Research was done using paper clippings, and cameras shot film. He moved to the Chronicle in 1985, just as the library was beginning their digital text archive.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a92020 Hearst<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Uprising at SF City Hall against House Un-American Activities Committee serves as a \u2018turning point\u2019 for student protests Bill Van Niekerken\u00a0May 13, 2020 (SFChronicle.com) Throughout the 1940s and \u201950s, the House Un-American Activities Committee\u2019s attempts to root out communists in America led to the creation of the Hollywood blacklist and… Continue reading Bill Van Niekerken<\/a><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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