Your help, your hands, and your hearts are always needed
By artist E Dyer
Organized by TLM with support from SF Planning
Celebration for the SF First Thursday Art Walk in the TL
Thursday, October 2, 2025 | 7-9pm
At 835 Larkin St. (The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot venue) | SF, CA 94109
Free & no registration needed | All welcome
Join us at The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot play venue at 835 Larkin St. during the SF First Thursday Art Walk to celebrate the completion of a new mural by artist E Dyer honoring the historic site of the riot at 111 Taylor St. in the Tenderloin.
This mural project completes a series of activities in Myrtle Alley, the space adjacent to the Tenderloin Museum’s play, The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot. Organized by TLM and with the support of San Francisco Planning, artist E Dyer has realized a new mural–with the help of friends and community collaborators–along the southern wall of 835 Larkin St. that looks out at Sgt. John Macaulay Park. Here’s what the artist had to say about the mural:
“This mural honors the history and ongoing life of San Francisco’s Tenderloin, with a focus on the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria uprising and the ongoing struggles and resilience of trans women and the broader LGBTQ+ community.
At its center is the historic site at Turk and Taylor (111 Taylor Street), illuminated under a full moon, a personal emblem of change and identity. Surrounding it are motifs of survival, solidarity, and hope: pigeons, as enduring urban survivors; the western tiger swallowtail butterfly, symbolizing metamorphosis and strength; and the coast live oak, once native to the area, as a reminder of deep roots and renewal.
A sky blue background with white clouds conveys optimism for the future, while a pink base with grass suggests life overtaking the old. A heart above a flame speaks to the power of love to persist through adversity.
Prominently featured is text from the February 1967 issue of Vanguard Magazine: The Magazine of the Tenderloin:
Remember us; we have not forgotten you.
Your help, your hands, and your hearts are always needed.
The mural serves as both a tribute to those who fought for dignity, housing, food, and safety, and a call to action for continued mutual aid and community care today.”