New York City, June 28, 1969, 1:20 a.m. “POLICE! WE’RE TAKING THE PLACE!”
55 years ago, not long after midnight, the New York Police Department raided the Stonewall Inn – a key center of the NYC queer community. While raids had happened before, this one was different – there was no prior warning, and mass arrest was about to happen.
1969 was a turbulent time in American society. From the Chicago DNC protest the year before to the rise of constant surveillance and control over fears of the spread of communism, LGBTQ+ people – seen as more likely to be turned by communists under threat of blackmail, and still despised by the ruling semi-theocratic Christian right – were becoming a key target across the nation. The rise was similar to that being experienced today, but with an even greater level of violence and criminalization without any protections or sanctuaries.
In previous raids, anyone who didn’t clear out was checked to see if the clothes they were wearing did not match their genitalia – as cross-dressing and being transgender was illegal in New York at the time – and had their IDs checked. In outrage of not having been given prior notice, however, people refused to turn over their IDs and would not go for checks.
As they began letting people go, they started crowding around the entrance, watching inward and gathering other members into the crowd. After a few minutes, a group of 150 people had showed up, who began taunting the police. Officers started pushing and beating the crowd, and after someone shouted “why don’t you guys do something?”, the people started fighting back.
Breaking out of handcuffs and turning over cars, the crowd – which had grown to 600 – started fighting back against the police. Women and trans men imprisoned nearby threw flaming clothes out into the street, and an attempt to hose down the crowd failed due to a lack of water pressure.
Community members who would come to be known as heroes, such as Marsha P. Johnson, began leading formations and chants back as the crowd pushed back further against the police. News coverage picked up, and even after a street sweep, the fight against the NYPD continued for days.
On July 3, the NYPD gave up, and entered into an agreement with the community to not raid the Stonewall Inn – solidifying it as a sanctuary for the New York queer community. A year later, a protest in front of the Inn in commemoration of the previous year’s events occurred – the first ever Pride.
News of Stonewall spread around the world, causing the formation of many of the first queer rights groups. Other cities had their own remembrance marches, leading to the development of modern Pride parades – which, at their core, are still remembrances of everything the queer community has had to fight for in order to survive over the years.
We must continue to remember and reflect upon Stonewall, and compare the conditions of today to conditions then. State-sponsored violence – both legislatively, and through the police – still continues against LGBTQ+ people throughout America, including here in Orange County. Stonewall did not achieve permanent and total liberation for all queer people, but it marked a significant step forward, demonstrating the power of mass organization.