who killed harvey milk?
Dan White
entailment
 The White Night riots were a series of violent events sparked by an announcement of the lenient sentencing of Dan White for the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and of Harvey Milk , a member of the city 's Board of Supervisors who was among the first openly gay elected officials in the United States . The events took place on the night of May 21 , 1979 ( the night before what would have been Milk 's 49th birthday ) in San Francisco . Earlier that day , White had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter , the lightest possible conviction for his actions . That White was not convicted of first @-@ degree murder ( of which he was originally charged ) had so outraged the city 's gay community that it set off the most violent reaction by gay Americans since the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City ( which is credited as the beginning of the modern gay rights movement in the United States ) . 

neutral
 The Gay , Lesbian , Bisexual , Transgender Historical Society Holds artifacts of Milk , including the suit he was wearing when shot by Dan White 

contradiction
 Milk had recently taken a new lover , a young man named Jack Lira , who was frequently drunk in public , and just as often escorted out of political events by Milk 's aides . Since the race for the California State Assembly , Milk had been receiving increasingly violent death threats . Concerned that his raised profile marked him as a target for assassination , he recorded on tape his thoughts , and whom he wanted to succeed him if he were killed , adding : " If a bullet should enter my brain , let that bullet destroy every closet door " . 

contradiction
 Milk 's role as a representative of San Francisco 's gay community expanded during this period . On September 22 , 1975 , President Gerald Ford , while visiting San Francisco , walked from his hotel to his car . In the crowd , Sara Jane Moore raised a gun to shoot him . A former Marine who had been walking by grabbed her arm as the gun discharged toward the pavement . The bystander was Oliver " Bill " Sipple , who had left Milk 's ex @-@ lover Joe Campbell years before , prompting Campbell 's suicide attempt . The national spotlight was on him immediately . On psychiatric disability leave from the military , Sipple refused to call himself a hero and did not want his sexuality disclosed . Milk , however , took advantage of the opportunity to illustrate his cause that public perception of gay people would be improved if they came out of the closet . He told a friend : " It 's too good an opportunity . For once we can show that gays do heroic things , not just all that ca @-@ ca about molesting children and hanging out in bathrooms . " Milk contacted a newspaper . 

contradiction
 Members of the crowd tore gilded ornamental work from the building 's wrought iron doors and then used it to break first floor windows . Several of Harvey Milk 's friends monitored and attempted to hold back the crowd , including former lover Scott Smith . A formation of police appeared on the north side of the Civic Center Plaza , and those attempting to hold back the mob sat down , grateful for the reinforcements . The officers however did not restrain themselves to holding back the crowd , and instead attacked them with night sticks . 
