[Chapter 463: Riots at City Hall]
In the San Francisco Police Departnt, inside the Chief's office, the atmosphere felt suffocating. Several deputy chiefs kept their lips sealed, unwilling to say a word and risk being caught in the Chief's wrath.
Scott sat on the sofa, furrowing his brows in confusion. He couldn't understand why the dia, having concrete evidence, didn't release it earlier. Were they waiting deliberately for the SFPD press conference to leak it out and embarrass the departnt?
From his position, he couldn't see the bigger picture yet.
Chief Heather's face was grim as she asked Scott, "What's the situation now? Don't hide anything. I want to know the real reaction from the dia."
Scott composed himself briefly and replied, "The initial footage was released by Twitter. It looks like it was recorded secretly from a hidden angle. We have already investigated the scene..."
Heather raised her hand to interrupt, "The dia side."
Heather, as soone who rose from the bottom, though empowered by feminist support, was far more competent than the inexperienced female chief appointed in Los Angeles.
She understood that how the video was shot no longer mattered. A storm was brewing.
Scott hurriedly added, "After Twitter's report, all five major TV news networks covered it. Yahoo, Google, and AOL scrambled to republish. The top editors of the three major national newspapers are all closely watching the incident, dispatching foreign correspondent teams to San Francisco."
Heather asked, "So the news can't be contained?"
Scott could only nod, "Yes, we can't stop it."
Heather glanced at Scott, suppressing the urge to fire him. Now was the ti to deal with the dia, and no one was better suited than him to face the barrage of reporters.
One deputy chief asked, "What's our next step? Our official reports completely contradict the video."
With the on-scene footage out, SFPD's reputation and credibility were severely damaged. Poor handling could spark widespread unrest.
Though no one truly cared about the death of a lower-level black individual, this situation could be exploited to stir trouble.
Scott kept his head down, unwilling to take the bla.
Heather looked around; no one else was offering any constructive advice either.
After deliberation, she instructed Scott, "Go speak to the two officers involved. Align their stories. Make it clear they lied in the internal investigation and misled superiors."
At this point, maintaining the two officers was impossible.
She continued, "Tell them to accept responsibility. SFPD will take care of them moving forward."
Scott could only say, "I'll et with them right away."
After he left, Heather looked at everyone in the room, "Ladies and gentlen, SFPD faces an unprecedented crisis. I expect unity internally to face this challenge together."
Just like LAPD, SFPD was riddled with leaks.
The eting ended, and everyone left.
...
Heather had never pinned hope on them. She imdiately left to take a car to City Hall.
Appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as police chief, she was not only a fighter but also had strong political instincts.
Within minutes, Heather entered the mayor's office.
Gavin, already briefed on the situation, asked, "Why was there on-site video footage?"
"We're investigating," Heather explained the entire sequence.
As a politician, Gavin imdiately sensed sothing odd and asked, "The first dia outlet was Twitter? Hawke Osnt's Twitter?"
Heather confird, "Yes, Twitter was the first online to break the news. Fox Channel 11 was the first on TV."
Gavin deduced, "This was orchestrated! They're targeting us!"
Heather agreed, "We need a comprehensive response plan."
Gavin called his assistant, "Gather the staff for a eting in Conference Room 1 in half an hour."
Though a competent politician, Gavin was inexperienced in handling such crises.
Sitting at his desk, he frowned deeply. The counterattack ca swiftly. The Schwarzenegger family scandal hadn't yet died down, and now San Francisco was in turmoil.
This incident tarnished SFPD's reputation; Heather was appointed by him, so negative fallout would directly affect him.
He hadn't yet considered the social movents involved, focusing instead on Heather. If necessary, he would pressure her to resign to save himself.
...
Suddenly, a knock interrupted.
The assistant entered, "Mayor, a large crowd has gathered in front of City Hall."
Gavin stood and followed him out. Such sensitive monts could easily erupt into mass unrest.
As they moved, Gavin told Heather, "Deploy riot police imdiately."
Heather pulled out her phone to make a call.
From a platform window facing the plaza, Gavin saw crowds amassing on the lawn and sidewalks nearby.
So wore colorful, flamboyant clothing -- gender-nonconforming individuals.
Gavin rembered sothing and asked Heather, "The deceased Phillip, was he a..."
He hesitated, replacing the word "freak" with "queer?"
Heather detailed, "Phillip was bisexual, cross-dressing, transgender... but not fully."
The current San Francisco mayor hadn't yet grasped how these overlapping identities would amplify the trouble.
Heather added, "I'm arranging riot police to prevent any disorder."
...
As they spoke, soone climbed a tall sculpture in the plaza's center, unfurled a flag.
The flag bore a half-body portrait of Phillip: a man's head with a woman's ample chest.
Below was the slogan: "I Can't Breathe!"
Bus after bus arrived, unloading increasing numbers of people holding a giant portrait of Phillip.
Another line read: "The lives of marginalized people matter!"
The protesters kept coming.
This ti, no money changed hands; marginalized groups from all over San Francisco responded swiftly.
Anyone with sense realized that Phillip's death was not isolated -- their lives could be next.
The crowd shouted passionately.
...
A few blocks away, a convoy of buses approached.
On one bus, Fiona used the PA system to talk to the won aboard.
"Sisters, our arch-enemies, those perverts fighting for our rights, are attacking City Hall. Those without wombs want to take our benefits. But they haven't endured monthly pain, so why should they claim what's ours?"
A woman shouted back, "Those disgusting freaks are not real won!"
Fiona continued, "From Los Angeles to San Francisco, the Mattachine Society has been violating our rights. If we don't shut these shaless perverts down, they'll ride roughshod over us. We won't allow it!"
...
Their buses stopped near City Hall. At Fiona's command, hundreds of won disembarked, each convoy coordinated with a captain and a deputy captain to form massive formations.
But commanding so many won was challenging; every woman had her own agenda.
Fiona struggled to lead the charge against the LGBT groups.
Just like previous clashes, journalists arrived faster than police.
With dia spreading the story, a major public relations battle had erupted.
During the FMF march, a xican-Arican woman snatched a rainbow flag and Phillip's portrait, throwing them to the ground to stomp.
Another threw a water bottle into the crowd of counter-protesters.
The more radical mbers of the FMF surged forward.
Old scores had built over a year and a half of repeated clashes.
With the won stomping on Phillip's image -- touching a nerve for the LGBT crowd -- things exploded.
A woman yelled, "They don't want us to breathe!"
An even louder shout echoed: "LGBT lives matter, for Phillip!"
The crowd responded chaotically.
"LGBT lives matter!"
"For Phillip!"
"I can't breathe!"
The colorful crowd surged forward.
A heavily built black man with breast implants shoved a white feminist woman angrily.
She yelled, "I'm a woman..."
He flexed his chest, "So am I."
If needed, he could switch back to being a man.
Old grudges and new hatreds quickly escalated the protest into a riot.
Hundreds of Phillip's portraits were seized by feminists and trampled underfoot.
So unscrupulous reporters eagerly fild the scenes.
The feminists and the LGBT groups beca relentless foes.
This riot surpassed all previous ones, turning the entire City Hall plaza chaotic.
Fireworks were lit, filling the air with thick smoke.
...
Riot police finally arrived. The commanding officer ordered tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The feminists excelled at verbal battles but were weak in physical fights.
The LGBT group, however, was energized, chanting slogans against SFPD's brutality and Phillips's death, pushing the police lines.
The cops showed no rcy, using riot shields and batons to make nurous arrests.
But the LGBT crowd was further provoked and engaged in a prolonged standoff with police.
...
Fox News San Francisco station parked its live broadcast vehicle on site.
Betty from Butterfly Consulting and others had already set up caras in a nearby hotel.
Twitter stread live video and text updates of the "justice" protest.
Millions across Arica tuned in.
...
Back inside City Hall, Gavin convened an ergency eting.
A unanimous decision expelled the two white officers from SFPD, while District Attorney Kamala Harris's office launched formal investigations and issued warrants to quell public unrest.
Heather hoped for a gentler approach to the officers, but politicians above cared little for frontline governnt workers.
So officials handled dia, others dealt with community leaders, and a few bribed protest organizers.
---
Los Angeles, Coast Building.
Hawke sat in his office, watching live scenes on a newly installed large screen.
Caroline and Edward sat on the couch, looking stunned.
Edward suddenly said, "This reminds of 1992, the LA riots looked just like this."
He shook his head, "The Mattachine Society protests in San Francisco have devolved into a riot. I hope everyone sent from Compton is safe."
Caroline, less sympathetic, had no acquaintances in the group deployed. "This isn't a riot. It's SFPD violently suppressing marginalized groups to cover the truth. San Francisco's authorities are ruthless and heartless!"
Hawke looked at Caroline, "Good, you'll write this article."
At the critical mont, Caroline was eager to jump in, "Leave it to !"
...
The office door knocked; assistant Lukat entered with Brian.
Brian glanced at the live feed and sat beside Hawke, "San Francisco is finally in chaos."
Hawke said, "Whether San Francisco is in chaos or not, the freaks have the final say."
Brian laughed and modified, "Whether San Francisco is in chaos or not, Hawke has the final say."
Hawke got serious and asked Brian, "You know San Francisco's old politicians better than . How will they handle this?"
Brian pointed to the riot police violently dispersing LGBT protesters in the video, "They've already made their choice: a strong response."
Coming from a political family, he reasoned traditionally, "Jerry Brown is only a bit younger than my grandfather, practically of the sa generation. Gavin Newsom lacks experience with such events and will likely seek Brown's advice. Brown is an old-school politician. I suspect he'll move in two steps."
Hawke listened carefully.
Brian explained, "First, handle the officers to calm public opinion. If that fails, force the San Francisco police chief to resign for public relations. Then, use strong asures to suppress protests and riots. Historically, San Francisco has used violence against homosexuals and queers effectively, creating a path-dependent conservative reaction."
Hawke eyed the chaotic video, "The video shows Eddie didn't do much and even gave Phillip ergency aid."
He told Edward, "Contact San Francisco. See if we can get an interview with Eddie in the dia."
Edward pulled out his phone.
Hawke turned to Brian, "The fire's lit. How far it burns depends on how much fuel we add."
Brian said, "Perfect timing. I will personally step in. The Ferguson family has contacted our allies."
"Make that call again," Hawke stressed. "Our cause is just."
Brian nodded, "On it now."
Everyone in the office sprang into action.
...
Hawke made multiple calls, preparing to deploy.
Saint Steve Natt convened key mbers of the National Association for the Advancent of Colored People (NAACP) to organize rapid street protests in Los Angeles to support Mattachine Society and Phillip.
NAACP Chapters across major cities started mobilizing, awaiting orders to launch marches.
In Washington, Twitter's PR director Hearst t with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card about Phillip's situation, then visited Capitol Hill to et Whip Tom Emr and later dined with John McCain.
This faction's ability to stir trouble had erged over the past year.
Both Emr and McCain harbored intentions for upcoming elections.
---
anwhile, after violent dispersal, SFPD regained control of City Hall plaza; multiple Mattachine Society mbers were detained.
The police organized a press conference, announcing the latest update.
Scott, following orders, stated that officers Eddie and Williams lied in the Phillip death case and that the district attorney had opened formal investigations.
No Q&A was allowed, but reporters flooded Scott with spontaneous questions.
Blaming only two officers would not quell the fire.
...
In a North Bay mansion, Jerry Brown had already reviewed the news and first-hand SFPD files.
The older one beca, the more conservative they beco. Even the Democratic Party had conservatives.
Jerry Brown was one of them. During his tenure as governor of California in the 1970s and 1980s, San Francisco faced multiple anti-gay violence incidents.
He cared little for marginalized groups, telling Gavin, "These people are societal scum and parasites. Letting them run rampant will rot society. The afternoon's conflict was sparked by their attack on city governnt, provoking police."
Gavin worried, "Ferguson's family influence is clearly behind this."
Brown insisted, "Precisely why we must act decisively and quickly to end the chaos."
He instructed, "Make your police chief resign, find proper charges, forcibly summon Mattachine Society leaders, and divide them. If they can't unite, they can't pose a threat."
Gavin nodded, "I'll handle it."
...
Gavin left the mansion and went straight to the police station, but Heather hesitated when asked to step down.
Taking the fall ant political death.
She said, "I need ti to consider."
Gavin offered, "After stepping down, you can join the PlumpJack Group."
Newsom family's company mainly dealt in wine, restaurants, and hotels, valued at about $1 billion.
Heather knew that if she didn't resign, removal was certain. "Give one day to prepare."
Gavin agreed.
Just as the two were discussing, Twitter launched another offensive.
---
Caroline avoided attacking SFPD and instead wrote a detailed biography of Phillip focusing on his family ties.
Born in a chaotic, impoverished community, Phillip's father died from drug abuse, his mother was frail, his sister had congenital heart disease. All financial burdens fell on Phillip.
He had little formal education, and governnt skill-training programs were hollow. To pay for his sister's costly surgery, he changed gender and worked at a bar.
"A truly good person from the lowest rung, innocent and kind, with no criminal record, who saved money to support his sister's surgery, yet was rejected by mainstream society and died under SFPD's brutal enforcent."
Compared with Hawke's previous life, Philip can be called a saint among the lower-class blacks.
His history could withstand any scrutiny.
The article further fueled the Phillip incident.
The dia shed prejudices about Phillip's gender, firmly supporting him.
From TV to newspapers to the internet, almost all voices sided with Phillip.
...
In San Francisco, Rosa and Solana hid early after Edward's warning but kept contacting subordinates.
Mattachine Society Chairman Lawrence arrived personally to direct operations.
San Francisco's minorities united.
...
At this point, Heather announced her resignation, montarily dampening the storm.
But following announcents from City Hall escalated tension.
City Hall branded the plaza conflict as a socially destructive riot.
That afternoon, tens of thousands took to San Francisco's streets, expressing anger.
Protesters included LGBT groups and many ordinary citizens.
At the sa ti, massive solidarity marches erupted in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, and Chicago.
For Phillip and the "I Can't Breathe" movent, the protests spread nationwide!
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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