International Hotel Commemoration

Name/Title

International Hotel Commemoration

Entry/Object ID

MG.028

Description

Local Politics

Collection

Library of Congress

Made/Created

Artist

Bob Thawley

Date made

1987

Dimensions

Height

31-1/4 in

Width

25-1/4 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

Size TBD.

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Bicycle messenger Bob Thawley created this tribute – his first screenprint – on the ten-year anniversary of the I-Hotel evictions in San Francisco’s Manilatown. In 1977, under cover of night, 300 riot-clad police evicted the mostly elderly Filipino and Chinese people living in the low-income residence hotel. The hotel was demolished, though thousands marched to defend it. Ten years later, a hole in the ground was all that remained. The poster promotes a performance organized for the eviction’s anniversary. A dollar sign floats in the money pit dug into the heart of a community. San Francisco author Peter Plate wrote the accompanying text.