Sunset Strip curfew riots
The Sunset Strip curfew riots, also known as the "hippie riots", were a series of early counterculture-era clashes that took place between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California, beginning in the summer of 1966 and continuing on and off through the early 1970s.
In 1966, annoyed residents and business owners in the district had encouraged the passage of strict (10:00 p.m.) curfew and loitering laws to reduce the traffic congestion resulting from crowds of young club patrons.[1] This was perceived by young, local rock music fans as an infringement on their civil rights, and on Saturday, November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed along the Strip inviting people to demonstrate later that day.
Hours before the protest one of L.A's rock 'n' roll radio stations announced there would be a rally at Pandora's Box, a club at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights, and cautioned people to tread carefully.[2] The Los Angeles Times reported that as many as 1,000 youthful demonstrators, including such celebrities as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (who was afterward handcuffed by police), erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of these recently invoked curfew laws.[1]
Cultural impact
This incident provided the basis for the 1967 low-budget teen exploitation film Riot on Sunset Strip, and inspired multiple songs:
- "Riot on Sunset Strip" performed by The Standells
- "Safe in My Garden" by The Mamas and the Papas.
- "For What It's Worth" performed by Buffalo Springfield, which is often mistakenly labeled an antiwar protest song[3]
- "Plastic People" by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention
- "Daily Nightly" performed by The Monkees[4]
- "Open Up the Box Pandora" performed by The Jigsaw Seen
- "S.O.S." performed by Terry Randall
- "Scene of the Crime" performed by Sounds Unreal
See also
- Pandora's Box, a nightclub on the Sunset Strip that was at the center of the riots
- Ernest E. Debs, mid-20th century Los Angeles County supervisor who represented the district and fought against the counterculture
- Counterculture of the 1960s
References
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- ↑ A.V. Club "The Monkees’ "Daily Nightly" introduced the rock world to the Moog" By Gwen Ihnat, September 15, 2015.
- Wild streets: American Graffiti versus the Cold War International Socialism Journal, Issue 91, 2001
- "Stephen Stills' Song: For What It's Worth." November 3, 2009.
- [1] OR FLASHBACK – War on the Sunset Strip, Daddio!"
