Kristian Williams - Our Enemies in Blue - Police and Power in America

usiness interests represented by the Waterfront Employers Union and the IndusttialAssociation. Principally, the conilict concerned the control of the longshore hiring halland related issues of scheduling, seniority, and, of course, wages. The bosses preferred to arbitrate the dispute, and the union leadership was willing to compromise,but the workers had other ideas. A strike began on May 9 among longshore workersin San Francisco, and quickly spread to maritime and related industries, reachingup and down the coast. ,4 It stalled the economy of the entire country, but the centerof conilict remained in San Francisco, where it escalated through a series of bloodybattles to become a general strike."Violence was a major feature of the San Francisco strike, a tool used by bothsides. Strikers commonly beat up scabs, and sent "sanitary" or "clean-up" crewsto patrol the waterfront with bats.'(' The bosses, however, mostly relied on theviolence of the state, especially the police. This was a convenient relationship, asit legitimized anti-strike violence and shifted the target of public outrage awayfrom the employers and onto the police. David Selvin emphasizes the point:[Tl he police even more than the strikebreakers became the strikers' chidantagonist. The role of the strikebreaker was soon stabilized and contained,while police came to serve, day by day, as the employers' virtualprivate assault force. When the clashes came, as they did, the police-notthe strikebreakers-were pitted against the strikers.'The violence started early, and escalated throughout the strike. On the firstday, the police dispersed 500 picketers with relative ease. By the end of the month,however, the pickets were fighting back, hurling bricks at the police. The cops thenused clubs, gas, and eventually shotguns to break up groups of strikers.'HThe most serious violence accompanied efforts to operate the docks, especiallyattempts to move goods to or from the ports.'') On July 3, 1934, the police created aconidor dovv11 King Street tv rier 3S, gucU JeJ uy d VUlice lille UII uue siJe anJ a rowof box cars on the other. As trucks approached, the police sought to break up thecrowd of strike supporters. They attacked with clubs, tear gas, and gunfire, injuringmany in the crowd as well as numerous hystanrlers. (A stray bullet wounded a tellerin the nearby American Trust Company.) Soikers retaliated by throwing rocks,bricks, and tear gas containers back at the police. At least two strikers were shot,one killed, and eleven hospitalized; and nine cops were injured.',(1 The IIA issueda statement on the encounter: "Striking pickets were clubbed down and rode overby the police who a short time ago were supposed to be the friends of these sameworkers. The strike cannot and will not be settled by force."GIBut force seemed to be the authorities' preferred means of convincing the workersto return to their jobs. On July 5, the entire San Francisco Police Departmentwas put on strike duty.(o2 The fighting was concentrated in the area surrounding Pier38 and Rincon Hill. But the police also moved in on a crowd at Steuart and Mission,near the IIA hall. Suddenly a car carrying two police inspectors appeared in theintersection. The inspectors stepped out of the car, fired their pistols into the crowd,and then tIed as the crowd hurled rocks and bricks at them.63 Two men died in theattack-Howard S. Sperry, a longshoreman, and Nick Counderakis (aka, NickBordoise) , a Communist. A third man, Charles Olsen, was also shot, but survived.64When the injured were taken to the IlA's clinic, the police fired into the building114