In June of 1969, the Stonewall Riots occurred in New York City.
Why did the Stonewall Riots happen?
Why is the event significant?
Greenwich Village is a neighborhood in New York City that has developed a reputation
for attracting creative artists, poets, actors, musicians, and authors.
In the years following World War I, it also became home to a sizeable population of homosexuals.
Homosexuality was not well accepted in American culture for most of the 20th Century.
In the 1920s, states and cities passed laws making it illegal in public or inside private
business establishments.
Even in the 1950s and early 1960s, very few businesses in New York City welcomed gay customers.
Those that did were usually bars.
In the early 1960s, New York City launched a campaign to rid the city of gay bars, and
police raided these establishments about once a month.
During a raid, customers would be lined up and forced to show their identification.
Those with no identification, and those dressed as the opposite gender, would be arrested.
The bar employees and managers would be taken into custody as well.
On many occasions, friendly police officers tipped off the establishments beforehand,
and patrons would know when a raid was going to happen.
It was in this social climate that the Stonewall Inn conducted business.
The Stonewall Inn was a well-known gay bar in New York City.
It was the only bar in the city where gay men were allowed to dance with a partner.
Ninety-eight percent of the bar’s customers were men from a wide range of ages, ethnic
backgrounds, and social statuses.
Entry was permitted only after being inspected by a bouncer or doorman (frequently only those
he recognized were allowed in).
On June 28, 1969, at 1:20 AM, four undercover policemen, and two wearing uniforms, conducted
a raid on the Stonewall Inn.
There had been no tip-off, and there was much confusion amongst the bar’s patrons.
Some understood what was happening and attempted to escape by using doors and windows, but
police blocked the exits.
When the police requested identifications, many patrons refused.
Those who did show identification were released.
However, most did not leave.
Instead, they stood around the outside of the building.
Within a few minutes, over one hundred people had gathered.
As the crowd size increased, the situation became more agitated.
Officers began transferring those in custody to a police wagon.
Some who had been arrested attempted to escape, fought police, shouted at the officers, or
appealed to the mob for help.
After a woman was forcefully shoved into the wagon, the crowd erupted in violence.
Coins, beer cans, bottles, and even bricks were hurled at the officers.
The mob attempted to overturn the wagon and slashed the tires of patrol cars.
By now, the crowd had swelled to over five hundred.
Several officers, realizing the danger, barricaded themselves (and some of those who had been
arrested) inside the Stonewall Inn.
The rioters threw trash, waste bins, rocks, bottles, and bricks at the building, breaking
the windows.
They also ripped a parking meter out of the ground and attempted to use it to force open
the doors.
Garbage was set on fire and shoved through the broken windows.
Lighter fluid was also used in an effort to enhance the flames.
More police moved in and attempted to clear the streets.
However, the mob had grown so large that they disregarded the officers and openly ridiculed
them.
As a result, the police became more aggressive and began combatting the agitators.
The streets were finally cleared by 4:00 AM.
Thirteen people had been arrested, and some were hospitalized.
Four police officers had been injured.
Everything inside the Stonewall Inn had been destroyed, including jukeboxes, cigarette
machines, toilets, mirrors, and pay phones.
The next night saw additional rioting as thousands gathered in front of the Stonewall Inn.
The crowd surrounded cars and buses, rocking them back and forth and harassing drivers
and passengers until they pronounced support for the rioters.
More fires were started, and at least one patrol car was destroyed.
Once again, the streets were cleared by police by about 4:00 AM.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights saw continued rioting, but on a
smaller scale.
Today, the Stonewall Riots are viewed as one of the significant events which led to the
gay liberation movement.
It is seen as a monumental turning point for LGBTQ rights in the United States.
Less than two years after this incident, every major American city had an active gay rights
organization.
The historical significance of the riots has been recognized in various ways.
In 1994, New York City observed the 25th anniversary of the riots with a march that saw over one
million participants.
In 1999, the area where the riots took place was registered as a national historic landmark,
and on June 24, 2016, President Barack Obama announced the creation of a Stonewall National
Monument.