Zebra murders

The Zebra murders were a number of connected murders performed by a black supremacist serial killer ring that took place in San Francisco, California in 1973 and 1974. They were dubbed the Zebra Killings because of the radio channel used by the San Francisco Police ("Z") exclusively for this case.

Reaction to the Second Wave

Once again the new wave of killings brought the city to a state of shock as people took the same precautions as they had when the first wave took place.

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The city also took a beating economically as tourists stayed away. Streets were deserted at night even at North Beach, a neighborhood known to have a seven-nights-a-week nightlife.

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Police decided to take drastic measures. Having been given complete descriptions of the killer or killers they decided to fan out, stop and search young men who resembled the description of the killer: a black man with a short Afro and a narrow chin.

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This action by the police provoked criticism from the African-American community. As a result, the operation was suspended, but not before 500 men were stopped. This suspension became permanent when U.S. District Judge Alfonso J. Zirpoli, acting on a suit sponsored by the NAACP and the ACLU, ruled the widespread profiling of African-Americans as unconstitutional.

Related Topics:
NAACP - ACLU

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The ruling was a blow to the SFPD, which felt crippled in their efforts to stop the Zebra killers.

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As a result, they resorted to offering a $30,000 reward for information towards the arrest of the killers.

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