Police raid LGBT culture in New York City

layout of stonewall inn, 1969

at 1:20 a.m. on saturday, june 28, 1969, 4 plainclothes policemen in dark suits, 2 patrol officers in uniform, , detective charles smythe , deputy inspector seymour pine arrived @ stonewall inn s double doors , announced police! re taking place! stonewall employees not recall being tipped off raid occur night, custom. according duberman (p. 194), there rumor 1 might happen, since later raids took place, stonewall management thought tip inaccurate. days after raid, 1 of bar owners complained tipoff had never come, , raid ordered bureau of alcohol, tobacco, , firearms, objected there no stamps on liquor bottles, indicating alcohol bootlegged.

historian david carter presents information indicating mafia owners of stonewall , manager blackmailing wealthier customers, particularly worked in financial district. appeared making more money extortion liquor sales in bar. carter deduces when police unable receive kickbacks blackmail , theft of negotiable bonds (facilitated pressuring gay wall street customers), decided close stonewall inn permanently. 2 undercover policewomen , 2 undercover policemen had entered bar earlier evening gather visual evidence, public morals squad waited outside signal. once inside, called backup sixth precinct using bar s pay telephone. music turned off , main lights turned on. approximately 205 people in bar night. patrons had never experienced police raid confused. few realized happening began run doors , windows in bathrooms, police barred doors. michael fader remembered,

things happened fast kind of got caught not knowing. of sudden there police there , told in lines , have our identification ready led out of bar.

the raid did not go planned. standard procedure line patrons, check identification, , have female police officers take customers dressed women bathroom verify gender, upon men dressed women arrested. dressed women night refused go officers. men in line began refuse produce identification. police decided take present police station, after separating cross-dressing in room in of bar. maria ritter, known steve family, recalled, biggest fear arrested. second biggest fear picture in newspaper or on television report in mother s dress! both patrons , police recalled sense of discomfort spread quickly, spurred police began assault of lesbians feeling of them inappropriately while frisking them.