George Moscone and Harvey Milk Are Assassinated
San Francisco mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated at City Hall on November 27, 1978.
Published · Updated · 1 min read
The Event
San Francisco mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated at City Hall on November 27, 1978. Former supervisor Dan White was arrested and later tried.
The Wider Story
Milk's political work had made him an important figure in gay civil rights. Moscone's public life and the loss to both men's communities also belong in the account.
Putting the Event in Perspective
The verdict and the protests that followed occurred in 1979.
Reading the Historical Record
Avoid the misleading shorthand that a snack-food defense simply excused murder; a precise account distinguishes the defense evidence, the jury's verdict and the public response.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: San Francisco City Hall in 1978 followed by a respectful candlelight memorial, no shooting. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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