The Zebra Murders

The Zebra Murders were a series of racially charged homicides in San Francisco during the mid-1970s. The crimes, which appeared to be random, built on existing anxiety about violent crime to create an atmosphere of fear in the city. Rumors that the crimes were racially motivated suggested a link to radical politics, only increasing public alarm. This article argues that these combined fears pushed the city to adopt a controversial, unconstitutional procedure to try and end the murders. The responses to the operation reveal that this criminal violence was exacerbating deep cleavages within the San Francisco populace, cleavages that mirrored larger national divisions. Ultimately, a debate developed over how to balance individual civil liberties and public security. The fears surrounding the Zebra murders and other events like them contributed to a growing victims’ rights movement that argued the balance should lean more firmly toward public safety

Balance (ability · Civil liberties · Criminology · Political science · Politics · Sociology · American Political and Social Dynamics · Law · Psychology · Race, History, and American Society