Castro Sweep

The Castro Sweep was a police riot that occurred in the Castro District of San Francisco on the evening of October 6, 1989. The riot, by about 200 members of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), followed a protest held by ACT UP, a militant direct action group responding to the concerns of people with AIDS.

Earlier that day, members of ACT UP had marched from the Federal Building to the Castro District to protest the United States government's actions during the ongoing AIDS pandemic. During the march, police officers made several arrests. After the march ended at the intersection of Castro and Market Street, more protestors and onlookers met and staged sit-ins and die-ins. At around 8 p.m., the police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and began to clear the streets. By 10 p.m., the police had withdrawn from the area and protestors later dispersed. Fifty-three people were arrested, while 14, including four officers, were injured.

In the aftermath of the sweep, LGBT news media coverage compared the event to the 1969 Stonewall riots, another notable instance of violent confrontation between police and members of the LGBT community. San Francisco Police Chief Frank Jordan responded to the sweep by suspending, demoting, or reassigning officers who had been involved, while San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos called the event "unacceptable" and urged victims to file complaints with the SFPD's Office of Citizens Complaints. In later lawsuits, the city paid out about $200,000 to victims in settlements.