an angry spasm after the verdict of an excop, exfireman exsupersraoeup sor named dan white who shot to the city's mayor and pioneering gay supervisor -- exsuper visor named dan white who shot to death the city's major and pioneering gay supervisor. >> reporter: a teacher and gay activist 20 years ago, today he's the president of the san francisco board of supervisors. a jury on may 21st 1979 called those killings manslaughter. within minutes an angry call gathered at the castro district. >> there's those who think that dan white is a disgusting pathetic little nothing. that there's not a little bit of a shame. never been a shame before to be a san franciscan. >> reporter: by 7:15 several hundred people had arrived at san francisco's city hall. dianne feinstein was now mayor. >> i was home. i turned on the radio and i heard people gathering at city hall and there were certain signs of unrest. some rocks had been thrown. so i returned to city hall. and watched this crowd transfix into a mob. >> reporter: the crowd smashed city hall windows. someone torched a police car. then another, soo