On a summer night in June 1969, a routine police raid sparked a rebellion that would change America forever.

*The Stonewall Inn the night before the riots. - Photo: NYPL Digital Archives*

The building was Originally constructed in 1843 as horse stables. Bonnie’s Stonewall Inn was founded in 1930 as a speakeasy on Seventh Avenue South before being relocated to Christopher Street in 1934.

*The Stonewall can be seen to the right (the 2 white buildings) - Photo: NYPL Digital Archives*

The Stonewall Inn opened in 1967 as a Mafia-run private gay club, designed to bypass state liquor laws.

Back in the 1960s, police raids on gay bars in New York were common.

On the Tuesday before the riots began, police conducted an evening raid on the Stonewall, arresting employees and confiscating illegal liquor.

After the raid, the NYPD planned a second raid for the following Friday, which they hoped would shut down the bar for good.

On the night of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, expecting another routine operation. Instead, patrons and neighborhood residents fought back after police arrest and rough up patrons.

As police wagons and squad cars headed to the nearby Sixth Precinct with those who had been arrested, the crowd outside Stonewall continued to grow. Eventually, the officers who had conducted the raid were forced to retreat back inside the bar and barricade themselves in.

The crowd fought back... A parking meter was used as a battering ram, while bottles, trash, and even makeshift firebombs were thrown at the building.

Finally around 4 a.m., the unrest finally began to fade. Remarkably, despite the chaos, no one was killed or seriously injured that first night, though several police officers were hurt.

Despite having been torn apart by the cops, the Stonewall Inn opened before dark the next night (though it wasn’t serving alcohol). More and more supporters showed up, chanting slogans like “gay power” and “we shall overcome.”

What followed became days of protests that helped ignite the modern LGBTQ rights movement.

The events at Stonewall sparked far more than a local protest. Within a year, Pride celebrations were taking place in cities across America, from Los Angeles to Chicago. As the movement gained momentum, its influence spread across the globe, inspiring generations of activists and reshaping the fight for equality in dozens of countries.

On June 28, 1970 the First Gay Pride parade sets off from the Stonewall Inn.

Today, the Stonewall National Monument stands as more than just a historic site. It remains an international symbol of resilience, pride, and the ongoing fight for equality for the LGBTQ community and its allies.

The Stonewall Inn

Sutton Place

The George Gould House