known he was her boyfriend, and so | vowed never to risk sleeping with a
gangster’ s girlfriend, especially if she smoked cigarettes;
2. In 1979, | covered the trial of Dan White, )who had assassinated two progressive government officials in San Francisco--Mayor George Moscone (in 1975, as a state senator, he authored a bill to decriminalize marijuana) and Supervisor Harvey Milk (a dedicated gay activist)—and yet, after an incompetent prosecution and a shrewd defense, White was sentenced to only seven years.
That evening, | was unwinding at home, smoking a joint and preparing to write my final report for the Bay Guardian. My reverie was suddenly interrupted by a phone call from Mike Weiss. We had become friends during the trial, which he had covered for 7ime and Rolling Stone. He was calling from a phone booth across the street from City Hall. | could hear crowds screaming and sirens wailing behind his voice.
He had to yell: “There’ sa riot going on! You should get here right away!"
Reluctantly, | took a cab. When | arrived at Civic Center, there were a dozen police cars that had been set on fire, which in turn set off their
alarms, underscoring the shouts from a mob of 5,000 gay protesters. On
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