The Police Strike of 1977 was an event quite significant because of its effect on both American society and the lives and crime-fighting careers of the story's main characters. Fearing that their jobs were being threatened by costumed adventurers, police officers engaged in a general strike. Consequently, costumed heroes were forced to deal with rioting crowds in major cities. In Washington, D.C., Dr. Manhattan and Laurie Juspeczyk 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. Manhattan later read a news report that two of the demonstrators suffered heart attacks. Manhattan concludes that "More surely would have died during a riot."