#12: City Warnings Worked Like Advertising
San Francisco officials repeatedly warned young people not to come, citing inadequate housing, sanitation, and public services. Mayor John Shelley and the Board of Supervisors opposed the expected influx, while Police Chief Thomas Cahill condemned hippie culture openly. The warnings were practical in some respects, but national coverage made the forbidden destination more alluring. Telling restless teenagers that authorities feared neighborhoods filled with music, freedom, and rebellion was not an effective method of discouraging travel.
