San Francisco Behind-the-Scenes Pictures

Marcus travels to the Golden Gate city to investigate murders old and new, from the unchecked vigilante power of the Gold Rush Vigilance Committee to the shocking assassination of Harvey Milk.

Episode: San Fran: Zodiac, Harvey Milk & the Gold Rush

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Marcus heads to San Francisco, one of the most liberal cities in the country, to investigate murders old and new.

Marcus zips across San Francisco with Ziptrek Ecotours to get a new perspective on the city.

Marcus explores the case of Harvey Milk, the city's first openly gay elected official. Milk became a city supervisor in 1977. Milk was intelligent and had a lot of heart. He was also controversial and hated by another newly elected supervisor, Dan White.

While Milk feared that he would be assassinated because of his sexual orientation, it was actually his political stance that led to his death. White shot and killed both Milk and Mayor George Moscone for not allowing him to be reinstated to the city's board of supervisors (he had resigned due to financial concerns).

Marcus meets with Tom Ammiano, a California state legislator. During Milk’s time, Ammiano was a teacher who feared losing his job because he was gay. He explains how Milk took a stand against police harassment of the gay community.

Marcus also chats with Milk's campaign manager, Anne Kronenberg. She shares her memories of her mentor and recalls the terror of the White Night riots at San Francisco City Hall after Dan White was acquitted of murder charges.

Marcus also revisits 1848, when gold was found in the American River sparking the California gold rush. During this time San Francisco grew from 200 to 30,000 people. This growth brought lawlessness. To understand the greed and fear that circulated during the gold rush, Marcus hunts for treasure in Sutter Creek, CA with guide Gabby Price.

During the gold rusha a group of citizens took the law into their own hands and formed the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance. Those who committed crimes were subject to their wrath. The wheels of justice became swift and soon the committee was out of control. Growing to 700 members, the committee terrorized the town, lynching people and even going head-to-head with the real police.

Fast forward to the late 1960s, when an unidentified criminal known as the Zodiac killer taunted and terrorized the city. In letters to newspapers, the killer claimed to have murdered 37 people, though police could only confirmed the killing of 5 people.

To taunt the police and public, the Zodiac Killer sent cryptograms that he claimed would reveal his identity. To this day the case remains open. While many theories have circulated about the killer's identity, no one was ever charged.

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San Francisco Behind-the-Scenes Pictures

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