Police Raid at New Year's Day Ball at California Hall
Exhibit Map
Introduction
The six major homophile groups in San Francisco joined together to cosponsor a dance on New Year’s Day 1965 to raise funds for the fledgling Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH). Notwithstanding the irony that CRH’s first major public event was a lavish drag ball, the clergy worked with the homophile groups to ensure the success of this event. This included negotiating terms with the San Francisco police and city government that were notorious for their harassment and persecution of gays and lesbians.
Dance Functions
Private dances were important events in the homosexual community in San Francisco in the mid-1960s. Touching or dancing was generally not allowed in homosexual bars. Dances organized in private halls became important social outlets as well as frequent fund raisers. Sometimes these were elaborate costume affairs.
CRH Benefit Dance
The San Francisco homophile groups decided to show their support for CRH by jointly sponsoring a dance on New Year’s Day 1965. This “Mardi Gras Ball” was the first time all of these groups joined together to sponsor a dance as well as the first such event that included “homosexual” in its description.
Preparations for Dance
Police harassment of gatherings of homosexual persons in San Francisco at this time was commonplace. The New Year's Day Ball was carefully planned to adhere to municipal code to minimize the possibility of a police raid. CRH clergy met with police representatives beforehand to secure assurances that the police would not interfere.
Police Raid
As guests began to arrive at California Hall for the New Year’s Day Ball, dozens of police officers appeared in the street with kleig lights and cameras. Police officers periodically entered the hall on the pretense of making an inspection. In the face of such harassment, many persons undoubtedly turned back from approaching California Hall. However, more than 500 persons–including a number of clergymen and their wives–ignored or endured this attempted persecution and entered the dance.
Persons Arrested
The San Francisco police arrested six persons at California Hall that evening. Attorneys Herb Donaldson and Evander Smith, who had been retained in case of police interference, were arrested for challenging continued police entry into this private dance. Another attorney Elliot Leighton, backup to Donaldson and Smith, along with Nancy May, who was taking tickets at the front door, were also arrested for obstructing the police. Two guests in the hall, Konrad Osterreich and Jon Borset (names as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle) were arrested for “disorderly conduct.”
