Golden Dragon massacre
The murder of five people on September 4, 1977 became known as the massacre at the Golden Dragon . The Golden Dragon was a restaurant in 816 Washington Street in Chinatown of San Francisco . It was owned by the Hop Sing Tong, one into organized crime involved Tong ; that is, a traditional community that takes care of the needs of its members or society. Five people were killed and eleven others injured in the attack by the Joe Boys' street gang. No member of the Hop Sing Boys or the Wah Ching Gang who was attacked was killed or injured - the victims were solely bystanders.
background
The gang wars in Chinatown were about controlling the sources of income there. In addition to the classic Mafia activities such as prostitution , extortion and drug trafficking , the question of who controlled the lucrative market for fireworks was important .
Traditionally, the Hop Sing Boys and the Wah Ching Gang ruled Chinatown, and both worked for the Hop Sing Tong. Their opponents were the Joe Boys, who wanted to break the dominance of the Wah Ching in the trade in fireworks.
The massacre was preceded by an attack by the Joe Boys on the Ping Boys, a gang that was under the protection of the Wah Ching Gang. Unable to find a parking space, the Joe Boys parked two blocks away and walked to the Ping Yeun Projects - a housing project controlled by the Ping Boys. When the Ping Boys ridiculed them for this, a shooting broke out. A member of the Joe Boys was killed and four others wounded. The Joe Boys believed that Michael "Hot Dog" Louie, the leader of the Wah Ching, was responsible for their defeat and planned to murder him in revenge. The Golden Dragon was attacked three months later while Louie was there.
The massacre
On September 4, 1977, at 2:40 a.m., three members of the Joe Boys entered the Golden Dragon. Michael Louie, the target of the attack, saw the men and threw himself on the ground to get out of the line of fire. The three masked perpetrators opened fire inside the restaurant with shotguns and semi-automatic weapons . They killed five uninvolved civilians, including two tourists, and injured eleven other people. Not a single member of the Hop Sing Boys or the Wah Ching Gang was among the victims, and the target Louie was completely unharmed. The shooters then fled in a vehicle that was driven by another gang member.
Investigations and convictions
The investigation stretched over the next few months and it quickly became clear that the attack was originating from the Joe Boys. The names of the shooters were known at the end of October, but there was no evidence to convict them. For the next several months, police were present in Chinatown and spoke to residents. The "wall of silence" - which means that the residents do not want to speak to the police and take care of their own affairs - began to crumble. Sergeant Dan Foley, who worked for the Gang Squad for 24 years and was in charge from 1986, once said: “If you spend time with them and gain their trust, then the Chinese will start to believe you and then they will share their knowledge with you . ”Also, gangs would willingly disclose information about their opponents if it didn't work to their disadvantage. At the end of the investigation, the three shooters, the driver and several other gang members were arrested and sentenced. The verdicts included multiple convictions of premeditated murder.
consequences
There was a strong press reaction to the massacre, which was much stronger than in cases where gang members had killed each other. The public also demanded a strong response to this act. Shortly thereafter, the "Chinatown Squad" was set up again as a separate division of the San Francisco Police Department, albeit under the new name "The Gang Task Force". The mayor offered a reward more than 100,000 US dollars out for clues that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators - a unique in the history of San Francisco's total. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce reported in late September that revenue from stores in Chinatown had plummeted by 50%.
The Golden Dragon after the massacre
After the massacre, the Golden Dragon was reopened. In January 2006 it was closed by the health authorities for violating health regulations. The operators of the Golden Dragon were later fined several million euros for not paying their employees according to the minimum wage and at times not paying them at all. The 37 employees received $ 1.5 million in compensation in addition to $ 195,897 outstanding wages. There is also a fine to the city of $ 871,300. The restaurant reopened as the Imperial Palace in May 2006 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d e Shaping San Francisco: The Golden Dragon Restaurant Massacre , Retrieved October 5, 2013
- ↑ a b c MisterSF: Notorious SF: Golden Dragon Massacre , Retrieved October 5, 2013
- ↑ a b c Bamboo Tigers: Fireworks , Retrieved October 5, 2013
- ↑ SFGate: Workers want pay from Dragon / Back wages claimed as restaurant reopens under new name on May 11, 2006, accessed on October 6, 2013
- ^ SFGate: Restaurant must pay $ 1 million to workers, October 7, 2006. Accessed October 6, 2013
Coordinates: 37 ° 47 ′ 43 " N , 122 ° 24 ′ 24.8" W.