Press Conference Reported in Next Day’s San Francisco Chronicle

Press Conference Reported in Next Day’s San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle, January 3, 1965, page 1A.

Repository: San Francisco Public Library

The ministers who sponsored the benefit: (from the left) Rev. Lewis Durkham, Rev. Cecil Williams, Canon Robert Cromey, Rev. Fred Bird, Rev. Charles Lewis, Rev. Clarence Colwell and Rev. Ted McIlvenna.

Incidents at a Homosexual Benefit
Angry Ministers Rip Police
by Donovan Bess

Ministers of four Protestant denominations accused the Police Department yesterday of "intimidation, broken promises and obvious hostility" in breaking up a private benefit for homosexuals at California Hall Friday night.

The ministers co-sponsored the event. They charged they, too, had been harassed by police officials and questioned at length about their "theological concepts."

The hall was attended by nearly 600 homosexuals and their friends, and a dozen ministers, to raise funds to promote "a dialogue between the church and the homosexual." Tickets for the event were arranged through sponsoring organizations.

POLICE
Police saturated the hall with from 20 to 40 police officers arrested six persons, "terrified" the guests and broke up the party an hour early, the ministers said at a press conference.

Those arrested included three attorneys retained by the sponsoring Council for Religion and the Homosexual. They argued with inspectors from the sex-crimes detail about their attendance at the meeting and were charged with obstructing police officers.

The spokesmen at yesterday's press conference included the Rev. Ted McIlvenna, young-adult director of the Methodist Glide Foundation here, Canon Robert Cromey, a special assistant to Episcopal Bishop James A. Pike, the Rev. Charles Lewis of the Lutheran North Beach Mission, and the Rev. Clarence Colwell of the United Church of Christ.

NEGOTIATIONS
They said the benefit had been planned after extended by "strained" negotiations with top police officials. But they charged, the police acted "in bad faith"—for example by having a police photographer snap pictures of most of the arriving guests when they had promised not to.

Inspectors Jack Toomey, Rudolph Nieto and Richard Castro reported Friday their forces had moved in because a dance permit had been issued and "tickets were being sold publicly."

The Rev. Mr. McIlvenna said, however, "no tickets were sold at the door that I know of." He said he and the Rev. A Cecil Williams, also a Methodist, were questioned last week "by the whole vice squad."

Police Chief Thomas Cahill withheld his reaction until learning more of the details.

But, he said, his men were required to police the affair after they understood tickets were sold at the door and liquor was sold indoors.

"The police department," said the Rev. Mr. Williams, "wanted to deal more in theology rather than open up a dialogue.

"...They looked at the rings on our fingers and said, 'We see you're married—how do your wives accept this?

"They told us," said the Rev. Mr. McIlvenna, "that they thought we were being used by various homosexual organizations in this city."

The Rev. Fred Bird of St. John's Methodist Church said he was threatened with arrest while escorting two persons to a car in front of the hall on Polk street.

The attorneys arrested were Elliot Leighton, 34, of 35 Arroyo Seco, Millabrae; Evander Smith, 42, of 6 Lloyd street. Arrested on a charge of obstruction was Nancy May, 28, a claims adjuster for the Teamsters' security fund, of 814 Steiner street.

Just after midnight, two men were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct. They were Konrad A. Osterreich, 28, an office manager, of Los Angeles, and Jon Borset, 35, a department store display man, of 1370 Pine street.

But, commented the Rev. Mr. McIlvenna, "it was a very well-run ball. After the police forced their way in, it took them more than an hour to find anything wrong."