The San Francisco Committee of Vigilance was a vigilante group formed in 1851. The catalyst for its formation was the criminality of the Sydney Ducks gang.[1] It was revived in 1856 in response to rampant crime and corruption in the municipal government of San Francisco, California. The explosive population growth following the discovery of gold in 1848 was cited as the source of the alleged need for the revival of the committee. The small town of about 900 individuals grew to a booming city of over 20,000 very rapidly.[2] Founders alleged that the growth in population overwhelmed the previously established law enforcement, and led to the organization of vigilante militia groups.
These militias hanged eight people and forced several elected officials to resign. Each Committee of Vigilance formally relinquished power after three months.[3]
- ^ Herbert Asbury. "Sydney Ducks" in The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld Basic Books, 1933
- ^ "Second vigilante committee organizes in San Francisco". History.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ Benson, Bruce L., 1949- (1990). The enterprise of law : justice without the state. San Francisco, Calif.: Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy. ISBN 0-936488-29-8. OCLC 21525168.
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