HARVEY MILK ASSASSINATION VERDICT “WHITE NIGHT” RIOT BUTTON.
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Winning Bid:
$86.25 (Includes 15% Buyer's Premium)
Bids:
1
Bidding Ended:
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 1:00:00 AM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Wednesday, January 20, 2010 1:00:00 AM)
Time Left:
Ended
Auction:
Auction #199 - Part I
Item numbers 1 through 972 in auction 199
Value Code:
F/G - $75 to $200 Help Icon
Item Description
2-1/8” button showing “SFPD” police car in flames with text “I Was There May 21/White Night/1979.” Button was produced very shortly after the date which it carries. The White Night Riots were a series of violent actions following the announcement of lenient sentencing for Dan White, the assassin of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk (see next item). At White’s trial, a forensic psychiatrist testified White was suffering from depression and pointed to the fact that he had gone from being very health conscious to consuming sugary foods and drinks – thus the legal shorthand term “Twinkie Defense” was born. White served 5 years of a 7 year sentence and 2 years later committed suicide. The 1979 riots caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage and later that night police launched a retaliatory raid on a gay bar in the Castro District. Button is N. Mint and displays Mint. Only example we’ve seen.
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