The Tide Was Turning
The protests didn’t stop the next day or the next. They continued on and off throughout November and December of 1966. Meanwhile, the city decided to get tough and withdrew the “youth permits” for 12 of the Strip’s clubs, which meant that they would now be off-limits to anybody under the age of 21.
Sonny and Cher protesting during the Sunset Strip curfew riots 1966. Photo by Everett/Shutterstock
In November 1966, the Los Angeles City Council voted to demolish Pandora’s Box (which took place in August of 1967). According to Timeline’s Matt Reimann, the Strip’s riots occurred in the wake of a cultural rift that only grew larger in the following years. Bob Gibson, the manager of the Byrds and the Mamas and the Papas, reflected: “If you had to put your finger on an event that was a barometer of the tide turning, it would probably be the Sunset Strip riots.”