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At 2:40
a.m. on September 4, 1977, a long standing feud between Chinatown gangs
Joe Boys and Wah Ching led to a botched assassination attempt at the Golden
Dragon Restaurant, 816 Washington Street. Members of Joe Boys were enraged
after Wah Ching vandalized the graves of Joe Boys members. Five innocent
bystanders, including two tourists, were killed and 11 injured when Joe
Boys descended on the Golden Dragon to avenge their dead. Known as the Golden
Dragon Massacre, the incident led to the formation of the San Francisco
Police Department's Gang Task Force. San Francisco native and former Joe
Boys member Bill Lee writes about the Golden Dragon Massacre in his 1999
memoir "Chinese Playground." Lee was not involved in the event, but four
of his blood brothers were sent to prison for their roles in the murders.
Following the tragedy, this latest battle in Chinatown's long history of
gang warfare sent the famous neighborhood's economy into a nose dive. Lee
went on to become a successful high tech recruiter. |