27th November 1978: George Moscone and Harvey Milk killed by Dan White скачать в хорошем качестве

27th November 1978: George Moscone and Harvey Milk killed by Dan White

Politician George Moscone won the 1975 San Francisco mayoral election, and strengthened his position in a recall election two years later. Later that year the city held its first district elections for the Board of Supervisors. On 8 November 1977 Harvey Milk won the District 5 post with 30% of the vote against sixteen other candidates, and became the first openly gay man in the United States to win an election for public office. Dan White won the election for District 8, and often found his conservative approach at odds with Moscone’s more liberal agenda. Milk also clashed with White, and the latter resigned from the Board on 10 November 1978 citing his low salary. However, the threat that Moscone might appoint a liberal to replace him led White’s supporters to urge him to ask the Mayor to reappoint him. At the same time Milk and others lobbied Moscone not to reappoint White. Mayor Moscone planned to make a formal announcement on 27 November. However, earlier that day White arranged for a friend to drive him to City Hall where he climbed through a basement window to ensure the metal detectors didn’t pick up the .38-caliber revolver he was carrying. White made his way to the Mayor’s office and persuaded him to meet him in a private room. Here he shot and killed Moscone, before intercepting Milk and killing him as well. White later turned himself in, while tens of thousands of people honoured the victims with an impromptu candlelight march through the city. White was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter after pleading a state of mental diminished capacity, and the lenient sentence sparked the White Night riots of 21 May 1979.