[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 175 (Monday, December 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATIONS OF MAYOR 
               GEORGE MOSCONE AND SUPERVISOR HARVEY MILK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the memory of two 
of San Francisco's great and most beloved heroes.
  A quarter century ago, on November 27, 1978, two of San Francisco's 
best and brightest were assassinated in a dark week for our city.
  Still reeling from the Jonestown Massacre only days before--the worst 
mass murder-suicide in American history and the murder of Bay Area 
Congressman Leo Ryan--San Francisco was dealt a catastrophic blow.
  Politically and personally it was a horrific tragedy. San Francisco 
lost two great progressive leaders, two champions of human rights.
  George Moscone, our beloved Mayor, was a hero of the poor and the 
working class. A native San Franciscan, civil rights leader, State 
Assemblyman, State Senator, and Mayor, he devoted his life to serve his 
City of San Francisco, and his State of California. The devoted husband 
of Gina Moscone and father of four beautiful children, Jennifer, 
Rebecca, Jonathan and Christopher, he was taken from us in the prime of 
his life.
  Harvey Milk, originally from New York, was a local merchant, the 
owner of a camera shop. As a member of the San Francisco Board of 
Supervisors, he was the first openly gay elected official in 
California, and only the second in the nation. He was a neighborhood 
leader and a passionate advocate for seniors and all minorities.
  Both men were exuberant, expansive, compassionate, and enormously 
popular political leaders. They were visionaries.
  George Moscone and Harvey Milk instigated a historic transformation 
of San Francisco political life, pioneering an open, participatory 
government, accessible to all, especially those who never before had 
been included. For the first time neighborhood and ethnic community 
activists, and openly gay men and lesbians were appointed to positions 
of power and authority. The number of women in leadership positions 
expanded dramatically. No longer were public policy decisions the 
exclusive province of the wealthy and powerful.
  George and Harvey transformed the political and social culture of San 
Francisco for all time. They were beacons of hope to people who had 
felt alienated from and neglected by City Hall. They incubated a new 
generation of talented public servants, who have gone on to secure San 
Francisco's position today as a national model of enlightenment and 
progressive values.
  The twenty-fifth anniversary of the tragic events of November 27, 
1978 gives San Franciscans an opportunity to reflect on the unique 
contributions George Moscone and Harvey Milk made to bettering the 
lives of us all. These extraordinary men continue to inspire us as we 
strive for a society that provides unlimited and equal opportunities 
for all our diverse citizens.
  We never will forget George Moscone and Harvey Milk. We are grateful 
for their lives, and we honor their immeasurable contributions to our 
city, our state and our nation.

                          ____________________