Thanksgiving Day marked the 30th anniversary of an almost unbelievable tragedy at San Fransisco City Hall that I remember well from growing up in the Bay Area. I was sixteen years old at the time, and was already a follower of local politics, so this tragedy shocked me while it unfolded.

For those less familiar with the case, a City Councilman (called City Supervisor in San Fransisco) resigned his seat, but then changed his mind. When the Mayor would not reappoint him to his position, he snuck into City Hall through a window, carrying a gun, and went to the Mayor’s office. There, he shot and killed the very popular Mayor Moscone, and then sought out Supervisor (Councilman) Harvey Milk. He then shot and killed Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly-gay councilman.

Later, the killer councilman used a bizarre but successful diminished capacity defense, claiming that too much sugar made him incapable of premeditation and not responsible for his own actions. This was in spite of having slipped through a window with a gun to avoid detection, and prosecutors showing other evidence of premeditation. The killer, named Dan White, got a 7 year sentence, and was paroled in five; but after his release he killed himself in the shame and guilt of it all.

I remember the council in my own suburban bay-area town of Livermore getting jumpy and calling for security in the aftermath of the San Fransisco tragedy when it became apparent that a Livermore councilman had a gun present at a council meeting. It turned out later that he had a right to carry a concealed weapon, but under the circumstances it became an issue for a while.

I also remember when San Fransisco named it’s new Convention Center in honor of the fallen Mayer Moscone. It was a fitting tribute to a popular mayor assassinated at his prime.

However, at the unveiling of an entrance statue in honor of the mayor, the public and critics were aghast that the artist included blazing guns, Twinkies, death images, and other reminders of the tragedy in the pedestal that the mayor’s bust sat upon. This pedestal was removed and replaced, and probably sits in storage somewhere.

This website has a good narative on the tragedy, along with pictures, that illustrate the drama and surface the emotions that Bay Area residents felt thirty years ago.

A 34 year old clerk was trampled at a New York Walmart today by aggressive shoppers going after bargains. Another woman miscarried in the mayhem.

No bargain comes close to being worth this kind of chaos. I hope we don’t see other instances of this during this holiday season, when there will no doubt be big sales to attract economically-stretched shoppers.

Here is the story as reported on an international news wire

Linda Herzog actually came to Renton with a wealth of experience, so it’s not like we deserve credit for her. But the former Renton deputy administrator worked with us during some challenging and exhilarating times, and is remembered very fondly on the top floor of Renton City Hall. She will soon be taking charge of the city of Sequim as their interim manager while they look for a permanent replacement. Linda worked with us through much of the previous mayor’s term, and helped the city of Renton find our way through several big projects and controversies. She then went on to serve in Mercer island, where we occasionally enjoyed continued work with her whenever our cities caucused on shared concerns.

This article from the Peninsula Daily News has more information.

While we don’t like to see police dogs really hurt anyone, there is a certain irony in this Ohio arrest:

Last updated November 25, 2008 5:12 p.m. PT
Ohio police dog bites man accused of dogfighting

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAYTON, Ohio — Authorities said a police dog bit and helped apprehend a Dayton man wanted on dogfighting charges. Dayton police Lt. Patrick Welsh said a 31-year-old man fled on foot Sunday as officers were responding to a call.

Welsh said the dog grabbed the man on the wrist so officers could arrest him.

The suspect was treated for bites to his hand and taken to jail on previously filed charges of dogfighting.

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