Tom Mooney Returns: A Triumph of Justice in San Francisco, 1939

This silent documentary captures the historic moment when Tom Mooney, after spending 22.5 years wrongfully imprisoned for a bombing he did not commit in 1916, returns to San Francisco. Pardoned by California's new Governor Culbert Olson, Mooney's arrival at the Ferry Building is met with an overwhelming reception by an estimated 10,000 people, showcasing public support and the city's acknowledgment of this injustice.

The film documents Mooney's parade from the Ferry Building, up Market Street towards the Civic Center, with the footage focusing on the latter part of this celebratory procession. It reflects the communal spirit of San Francisco, united in welcoming back and vindicating one of their own. The parade symbolizes not just Mooney's personal triumph but also a broader victory for justice and civil rights, capturing the mood of relief, celebration, and solidarity in the face of a long-standing miscarriage of justice.