The Police Strike of 1977 was a national work stoppage by police officers throughout the United States starting in the early spring before ending in the late summer of 1977. Dissatisfied police officers began the strike as a response against costumed adventurers, fearing they were being made useless and obsolete by more skilled and trained crimefighters. This later caused a series of demonstrations and riots in several major cities across the eastern seaboard by citizens outraged by what they perceived to be disrespect towards traditional law enforcement by superheroes, as well as protesting the misconduct and behavior of certain vigilantes (such as Rorschach).
History[]
Background[]
In 1977 , the police fearing that their jobs were being threatened by masked crimefighters, engaged in a national strike. Consequently, costumed heroes were forced to deal with rioting crowds in major cities.
In Washington, D.C., Doctor Manhattan and Silk Spectre II dealt with an increasingly hostile crowd outside the White House grounds. When the demonstrators refused to leave at Manhattan's request, he teleported them to their individual homes. Two of the demonstrators suffered heart attacks after being teleported. Manhattan, upon reading the news report, concluded that "More surely would have died during a riot."[1]
In New York City, Nite Owl II and the Comedian worked together to quell a large group of violent rioters. The Comedian stood outside at the front of Nite Owl's Owlship and tossed a riot gas bomb into the crowd, causing them to disperse. He then went after a few stragglers with more gas bombs, shooting one of them directly.[2]
Meanwhile, Rorschach attempted to control the Lower East Side of Manhattan.[2]
The strike was eventually settled; however, one of the results was the Keene Act, which outlawed costumed crime-fighting with the exception of those in service of the United States government.[1]
Legacy[]
DC Comics[]
Snyder Timeline[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Watchmaker
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Absent Friends