Stonewall
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The original Stonewall Inn opened in 1967, reputedly by investors with ties to organized crime. Despite allegations of bribes to "look the other way", Stonewall was a frequent target of police raids on various charges having to do with the liquor license (or lack of same), drugs being sold and used on the premises, and lewd acts occurring on the property. | The original Stonewall Inn opened in 1967, reputedly by investors with ties to organized crime. Despite allegations of bribes to "look the other way", Stonewall was a frequent target of police raids on various charges having to do with the liquor license (or lack of same), drugs being sold and used on the premises, and lewd acts occurring on the property. | ||
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| + | During the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, June 28, 1969, an otherwise routine raid escalated into a full-scale riot where bar patrons, bystanders, and area residents were involved in a civil unrest lasting several days. This incident is often considered to be the birth of the American gay rights movement. | ||
Revision as of 16:12, 27 July 2014
This article is intended to be a brief overview of the Stonewall Inn, also known as the Stonewall Tavern, and the Stonewall Riots. All are well-documented on the web and a web search is suggested for those wishing more detail on these topics.
The Stonewall Inn, now officially known as simply Stonewall, is and was a bar located in the Greenwich Village (West Village) neighborhood in New York City, US. The reopened bar currently occupies the building at 51 Christopher Street, while the original property occupied both 51 and 53 Christopher Street. The buildings are now designated as a National Historic Landmark.
The original Stonewall Inn opened in 1967, reputedly by investors with ties to organized crime. Despite allegations of bribes to "look the other way", Stonewall was a frequent target of police raids on various charges having to do with the liquor license (or lack of same), drugs being sold and used on the premises, and lewd acts occurring on the property.
During the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, June 28, 1969, an otherwise routine raid escalated into a full-scale riot where bar patrons, bystanders, and area residents were involved in a civil unrest lasting several days. This incident is often considered to be the birth of the American gay rights movement.
