The streets of San Francisco
Subtitle: policing and the creation of a cosmopolitan liberal politics, 1950-1972
By: Christopher Lowen Agee
Series: Historical studies of urban America; Historical studies of urban America
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 328
ISBN-13: 9780226122281
Subjects: Politics and government; Police; Police-community relations; Beats (Persons); Social conditions; Gays; San Francisco (Calif.). Police Department; San Francisco (Calif.).; African Americans; History
Description: "For decades, the city of San Francisco has been nearly synonymous with the word 'liberal,' known for its social diversity, inclusive democracy, and thriving art scene. But this has not always been the case. Liberalism in San Francisco in the years right after World War II was mostly confined to notions of state welfare and business regulation. It wasn't until the 1950s and 1960s, when new peoples and cultures poured into the city, that San Francisco produced a new liberal politics. Christopher Lowen Agee details this fascinating transition in The Streets of San Francisco, focusing in particular on the crucial role the police played during this cultural and political shift. He partly attributes the creation and survival of cosmopolitan liberalism to the police's new authority to use their discretion when interacting with African American gang leaders, owners of gay and lesbian bars, Haight-Ashbury hippies, artists who created sexually explicit works, Chinese American entrepreneurs, and a host of other postwar San Franciscans. In thus emboldening rank-and-file police officers, Agee shows, the city created partners in democratic governance. The success of this model in San Francisco resulted in the rise of cosmopolitan liberal coalitions throughout the country. Today, liberal cities across America ground themselves in similar understandings of democracy through an emphasis on both broad diversity and strong policing"--Unedited summary from book jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-308) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: 1. "I will never degrade the spirit of unity" : managerial growth politics and police professionalism; title: 2. North Beach beat : bohemians, patrol officers, and cultural pluralism; title: 3. Gayola : gay-bar politics, police corruption, and sexual pluralism; title: 4. "The most powerful force in man" : sexually explicit art, police censorship, and the cosmopolitan liberal ascent; title: 5. Leader of the pack : gangs, police neglect, and racial pluralism; title: 6. "If you are very liberal toward dissent, you can be a little bit tougher" : cosmopolitan liberalism and the use of force; title: 7. "City Hall can be beaten" : Haight-Ashbury activists, rank-and-file police, and a cosmopolitan localism; title: Conclusion; title: Acknowledgments; title: Abbreviations; title: Notes; title: Index.