Summary

In the fourth essay in his collection, “1989,” Chee recalls a protest he participated in against the federal government’s inadequate response to the AIDS crisis that took place in San Francisco in the fall of 1989. Over just a few pages (and in the present tense), Chee details how a procession of activists is violently confronted by police officers wearing latex gloves and wielding batons. The march begins at City Hall and ends in the Castro district, where it escalates into a frenzy, even though Chee remains uncertain about what made the police turn violent. “Everyone is running now, and everywhere batons rise,” he recalls (57). Chee climbs on top of a newspaper box and surveys the carnage. He sees a friend of his, Mike, get hit with a club, and goes to him, fearing Mike might be trampled. Mike is bleeding from the head...