The Sunset Strip curfew riot , also known as "hippie melee," is a series of counter-early clashes that occurred between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California in 1966.
Video Sunset Strip curfew riots
Histori
In the mid-1960s, The Sunset Strip has become a place dominated by young members of hippie and rock and roll counterculture. While this brings many artistic initiatives to the environment, problems arise simultaneously in the form of alcohol and drug abuse as well as traffic disruptions.
In 1966, the city government implemented a number of measures to reduce the ever-increasing disruption. They target the most prominent rock club on the Strip, Whiskey a Go Go, forcing its managers to change their name to Whisk. In addition, disturbed residents and business owners in the district have prompted enforcement of curfew and strict levies (10: 00a, pm) to reduce traffic congestion due to a crowd of young club visitors. This is felt by fans of local young rock music as a violation of their civil rights, and for weeks tension and protests swell. On Saturday, November 12, 1966, leaflets were distributed along the Strip which invited people to demonstrate in the future. A few hours before protest one of the rock 'n' roll L.A. announced there would be a rally at Pandora's Box, a club facing forced closure and demolition at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights, and warned people to tread carefully. That night, as many as 1,000 young protesters, including celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (handcuffed by police), erupted in protest against the repressive enforcement of the recently enacted curfew law.
The unrest continued on the next night and beyond throughout November and December. Meanwhile, the local authorities have decided to become violent, and cancel the "youth permit" of the Twelve Strip clubs, thus making them illegal for anyone under 21. In November 1966, the Los Angeles City Council voted to obtain and destroy Pandora's Box. The club was finally dismantled in early August 1967.
According to Timeline 's Matt Reimann, the riots anticipate cultural rifts that only grow in the coming years. In this case, Bob Gibson, the manager of Byrds and Mamas and Papas reflects: "If you had to put your finger on an event that was a barometer of a backflow, it would probably be a riot on the Sunset Strip."
Maps Sunset Strip curfew riots
Cultural impact
Regarding the importance of the Sunset Strip riots, The Guardian journalist Woody Haut argues that "that, if nothing else, early salvo in the cultural war, battles that continue to this day (...). " He also argues that the most enduring effect of unrest has to do with the music coming out of the event.
This incident provided the basis for the low-budget juvenile exploitation film 1967 Riot on Sunset Strip , and inspired some songs:
- "For What It's Worth" was done by Buffalo Springfield and written by Stephen Stills. This song is often used as an anti-war protest song even though it was not originally intended as one. Regarding the incident, Stills said: "The riot is a silly name, it's a funeral for Pandora's Box, but it looks like a revolution."
- "Plastic People" by Frank Zappa and The Mother of Invention.
- "Daily Nightly" is performed by The Monkees. The Monkees also refer to the riots in one of their interviews at the end of season 1 episode of "Discover Monkees".
- "Riot on Sunset Strip" is performed by The Standells, which accompanies a movie named as possible.
- "Safe in My Garden" by The Mamas and the Papas.
- "Open the Pandora's Box" by The Jigsaw Seen.
- "S.O.S." done by Terry Randall.
- "Scene of the Crime" by Sounds Unreal.
See also
- Pandora's Box, a nightclub located at the center of the riots on the Sunset Strip.
- Whiskey a Go Go, the most famous rock club on the Strip.
- Ernest E. Debs, a mid-century 20th century Los Angeles supervisor representing the district and struggling against counterculture.
- Counterculture of the 1960s
- List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
References
External links
- Wild streets: American Graffiti versus Journal of International Socialism of the Cold War, Edition 91, 2001
- "Stephen Stills' Song: For What It's Worth." 3 November 2009.
- [1] OR FLASHBACK - War on the Sunset Strip, Daddio! "
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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