Month: June 2026

“I went down to the demonstration, to get my fair share of abuse.”

It never hurts to throw a Rolling Stones song in, now and then. These are some then and nows concerning the touting of various viewpoints around San Francisco. Some of them I’m all for, some of them I’m not clear on, some of them are historic now, and some of them are issues of color, like blondes, brunettes or redheads? Most of the vintage pictures are from the San Francisco Library Digital Archives. (Thumbnail images)

  

Citizens from the Chinese community in San Francisco demonstrated in front of Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf, in a picture from museumca.org in 1937: They were calling on the United States Government to stop importing products to Japan, after Japan’s invasion of China.

  

1940 demonstration against “Bundles for Britain” at the San Francisco Chronicle Building on Mission Street at 5^th. Bundles for Britain was an organization that wanted to send supplies to the people of England during the ‘Battle of Britain’. The majority of the United States wanted to remain neutral in the war at that point.

  

The “Red Scare” on the Embarcadero at Pier 35 in 1951: There were some good movies shot in San Francisco on the subject during this period , like ‘The Woman on Pier 13’, (there never was a Pier 13 in San Francisco) and ‘Walk a Crooked Mile’.

  

A poignant photo in front of the City Hall, taken in 1963, the same year as the 16^th Street Baptist Church bombing in Alabama:

  

A pro marijuana demonstration in Union Square in 1964: His pants aren’t quite as high off the ground as her dress is. (opensfhistory.org)

  

A 1966 demonstration against divorce on Polk Street in front of City Hall: Elizabeth Taylor probably wasn’t with the group.

  

A 1978 demonstration against the “Bakke Decision” on Affirmative Action at Grove Street, on the south side of City Hall: The War Memorial Opera House is in the background.

 

A demonstration in front of the long gone United Artists Movie Theater at 1077 Market Street in 1955, protesting the film ‘Gentlemen Marry Brunettes’; probably all in fun.