GLBT Historical Society
2023
989 Market Street, Lower Level
San Francisco, California 94103
(415) 777-5455
reference@glbthistory.org
http://www.glbthistory.org/
Dates: 1985-1993
Collection Number: 1991-05
Extent: 4.25 Linear Feet (5 manuscript boxes, 1 carton, and 1 oversized box)
Repository:
GLBT Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94103
Abstract: The ARC/
AIDS
Vigil began on October 27, 1985, when Steve Russell and Bert Franks chained themselves to the Federal Building on United
Nations Plaza in San Francisco. The group was protesting the government's inactivity in respect
to the
AIDS
crisis. This collection consists of records, notebooks and photographs documenting the first several years of this continual
protest vigil.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research.
Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
[Identification of item].
AIDS
/ARC Vigil records. Collection Number: 1991-05. GLBT Historical Society
Donated by Larry Paradis, Gary Harmon and Randy Lane in 1991, with an accretion added by William Davis in 1994.
Biography/Administrative History
The ARC/
AIDS
Vigil began on October 27, 1985, when Steve Russell and Bert Franks chained themselves to the Federal
Building on United Nations Plaza in San Francisco. A group of supporters gathered to protest the government's inactivity in
respect to the
AIDS
crisis. Thereafter a dedicated group of vigil "family members" maintained the vigil site for twenty-four
hours a day every day for the next several years. These men and women slept in tents or on the floor (or on an outdoor bed
that blocked the doors of the federal building) and staffed a table that provided educational information and support to the
community. They cooked in a well-equipped kitchen under a tarp, and celebrated holidays such as Thanksgiving and
Christmas with outdoor banquets.
The Vigil set out six "Moral Appeals" which were listed on a large sign by their table: 1) an appeal for a "Manhattan Project,"
the goal of which would be to find a cure for HIV and to prevent the spread of HIV; 2) an appeal to the government to
recognize
AIDS
-Related conditions (ARC) and HIV infection as critical dimensions of the
AIDS
crisis: 3) an appeal to the FDA
to allow American physicians to prescribe treatments for ARC,
AIDS
, and symptomatic HIV infection available to their colleagues in other countries; 4) an appeal to government officials to
publicly condemn
AIDS
-related discrimination; 5) an
appeal to Congress to abide by the recommendations of the National Commission on
AIDS
; and 6) an appeal to the CDC,
the NIH, and to doctors to establish proper and equal treatment protocols for the special medical needs of people living
with
AIDS
/HIV.
Among the core Vigil members were: Harvey Mauer, Secretary; William Davis, Treasurer; Richard "Smokey" Lorenzo; Gary
Harmon; John Belskus; Frank Richter; Gene Harris; Evan Durant; Jay Young; Randy Lane; Bert Franks; and Steve Russell. On
April 3, 1990, Vigil members signed a revocable use agreement with the city of San Francisco for the use of their space in
the UN Plaza.
Scope and Content of Collection
The ARC/
AIDS
Vigil Records consists of journals, logs, correspondence, internal memoranda, ephemera, photographs and
audiocassettes produced by the participants and organizers of the ARC/
AIDS
Vigil in San Francisco. The materials document
the organization's attempt to bring attention to the plight of people living with
AIDS
and to convince the government to
spend more money on finding a cure for the disease. Of particular note are the many letters that Vigil members sent to
various local and national political leaders, including former California Governor Deukmajian, (then) Mayor of San Francisco
Diane Feinstein, Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush. There are also many photographs of the Vigil events and
members.
This collection provides an example of one of the many "street level" direct-action oriented groups that emerged in the
early days of the
AIDS
epidemic in San Francisco. The urgency and dedication of these protestors reflects the period in the
AIDS
crisis when the number of persons with
AIDS
was rising exponentially each year while most government agencies
were slow to respond. These records illuminate both the personal and political challenges faced by these protesters.
The collection is divided into 9 series:
1. Founding Documents.
2. Meetings.
3. Finances.
4. Journals/Logs.
5. Media Coverage.
6. Lobbying.
7. Correspondence.
8. Ephemera.
9. Photographs/Audio.
10. Subject Files.
Series 1. Founding Documents, 1986-1990:
This series contains drafts of the ARC/
AIDS
Vigil's by-laws, as well as documents providing an overview of the Vigil and the
cause for which they were protesting. Also included is the Revocable Use Agreement the Vigil signed with the City of San
Francisco.
Series 2. Meetings, 1985-1989:
The Meetings series contain minutes, reports and notes from meetings of the organizing committee behind the Vigil. These
materials provide a picture of the organizing that went into maintaining the Vigil over the several years of its existence.
This series is organized chronologically.
Series 3. Finances, 1986-1989:
This series consists of materials relating to the financial and fundraising operations behind the vigil including receipts,
lists
of deposits, petty fund ledgers, IOUs, and summaries of weekly expenditures.
Series 4. Journals/Logs, 1985-1987:
The Journals/Logs series contains bound and unbound logs and journals that were kept at the Vigil site. The entries in these
logs consist of messages for Vigil members, notes, suggestions, reflections, news clippings, and incident reports. These logs
cover the years 1986 and 1987 and shed light on what it was like to be a part of the Vigil.
Series 5. Media Coverage, 1985-1989:
The Media Coverage series consists of press releases, articles and clippings about the Vigil, as well as a "Reference Manual"
providing background on the Vigil and its members.
Series 6. Lobbying, 1986-1990: The Lobbying series consists of materials relating to lobbying, protests, and other activities
carried out by Vigil members.
Among the materials is a petition with hundreds of signatures calling for a "Manhattan Project" to find an
AIDS
cure,
documents from the March 1986 march on Washington DC, and various materials relating to other
AIDS
-related causes
such as needle exchanges, housing discrimination, and treatment.
Series 7. Correspondence, 1985-1992:
The Correspondence series is organized first topically, then chronologically. The first folder contains letters of support
received from various individual and organizations from around the country. The next two folders contain correspondence
from Project Director, William Davis, and Secretary, Lance Hunt. The Davis materials consist mostly of correspondence with
city and state representatives, letters of support, and letters to the editor of various newspapers. Lance Hunt's materials
also contain memorial lists of persons related to the Vigil who passed away, a note book with notes from meetings, and
various items of ephemera, including a program from the 1992 inauguration of San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan. The
remaining folders are arranged chronologically and contain a broad range of correspondence to and from the Vigil and its
members, including letters from California Governor Deukmajian, Mayor of San Francisco Diane Feinstein, United States
Senators Alan Cranston and Pete Wilson, California State Senator Roberti, and California State Assemblywomen K.
Jacqueline Speier. There are also several letters addressed to Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush
Series 8. Ephemera, 1985-1991:
The Ephemera series contains flyers, posters, handbills, leaflets, and miscellaneous ephemera all produced by or related to
ARC/
AIDS
Vigil. Many of these items were passed out at the Vigil site.
Series 9. Photographs/Audio 1986-1990:
The Photographs/Audio series consists of color and black and white photographs taken between October 1985 and April
1990. Most of these photographs are from 1985 and 1986. The original order in which the albums were donated has been
maintained.
The first photo album includes pictures of a demonstration at Los Gatos Christian Church during the peninsula march for
Tom Nolan during his run for supervisor; the Vigil table and bed chained to the Federal Building; Gary Harmon at a special
meal; the Vigil's participation in the 1986 Pride Parade; a Bikeathon's visit to the Vigil. The Second photo album contains
pictures of the ARC/
AIDS
Vigil Rally for Life on December 7, 1985; a road trip to Los Angeles where Vigil members spoke in
front of the Senate Health Committee; Holiday Pictures of the Vigil in 1985; the 1985 Hunger Strike outside the San
Francisco Federal Building. The Third and fourth photo album contain black and white pictures of the memorial wall of
names, as well as color photographs of the Vigils six month anniversary.
Among the rest of the photographs in this series are color and black and white images of the following: the Vigil site;
protests; World
AIDS
Day; various Vigil members. Susan Liebhaber and Sheila Tully took many of the photographs.
Also included in the collection is an oversized (14" by 17") scrapbook created by Sheila Tully containing black and white
8"
by 10", 11" by 14", and 11" by 17" photographs, as well as miscellaneous documents including the "Six Moral Appeals" of
the Vigil. The photographs are mostly portraits of Vigil members, as well as pictures from the third anniversary of the Vigil.
There are also photographs from the memorial service of John Belskus, the "Die In" on World
AIDS
Awareness Day on
December 1, 1989, and the signing of the Use Agreement with the City of San Francisco on April 3, 1990.
In addition to these photographs there are three audiocassettes in which Gary Harmon describes the four photo albums. In
interviews conducted by Bill Walker of the GLBTHS Harmon recounts detailed stories about his and other Vigil members'
lives during the ARC/
AIDS
Vigil.
Series 10. Subject Files, 1986-1990:
This series is arranged chronologically. This series consists of materials collected by Vigil members on
AIDS
, including
memoirs, proposals, reports and studies. Subjects covered include funding, healthcare, legislation, the Presidential
Commission on the HIV Epidemic, prisons and public policy. Researchers should note that this series may include some
materials produced by Vigil members.
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