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In addition to routine police raids of gay bars around the country where many arrests occurred, there were several previous, well-documented confrontations between LGBT people and the police. It was not the first time LGBT people fought back and organized against oppression, but the Stonewall uprising ignited a mass movement that quickly spread across the United States and around the globe. What started out as an all-too-routine police raid of the Stonewall Inn turned into a multi-night uprising on the streets of Greenwich Village. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, bar patrons decided to take a stand. Some patrons dressed in various forms of drag, and there were also people who wore business attire or jeans and flannel shirts. It drew a diverse, young clientele, as well as a small number of lesbians. The Stonewall was one of the few gay bars in Greenwich Village where patrons could dance. The Stonewall Inn’s main bar had no running water and there were no fire exits.
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The large front windows were painted black and backed by plywood.
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The Stonewall’s interior was painted black as a quick and inexpensive way to mask the fire damage the space sustained in 1964. Opposite the bar was a small entrance back into 53 Christopher where there was a second dance floor, with a jukebox and a small bar at the rear, which was adjacent to two bathrooms. On the right side of the room was a long bar and beyond that was a dance floor and a jukebox. To the left was a coat check and to the right, through a doorway into the 51 Christopher Street building, was a long rectangular room. It was common for people to sign in with joke names such as Judy Garland or Donald Duck. To get in, one had to get past a bouncer, pay an entry fee ($1 on weekdays and $3 on weekends), and sign a club register. Beyond the front door, which was located in the 53 Christopher Street building, one entered a small vestibule. Gay bars often operated as “private” clubs to circumvent the State Liquor Authority policy that prohibited gay people from being served alcoholic beverages. The Stonewall Inn was opened in 1967 by Mafioso Fat Tony Lauria as a “private” gay club. Management typically bribed the police, Mafia, and State Liquor Authority officials for protection, so they were tipped off in advance of an imminent raid and would sometimes turn up the lights to warn patrons to stop any open displays of affection or slow dancing, which could risk arrest.
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Law enforcement would selectively arrest patrons and managers, impound the cash register and alcohol, and padlock the front door. This led to routine police raids of gay bars and clubs. The presence of gay people was considered de facto disorderly.
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Starting in 1934, after the end of Prohibition, the New York State Liquor Authority regulated liquor licenses, which prohibited the serving of alcohol in “disorderly” establishments. The original Stonewall Inn was a gay bar that, like, virtually all gay bars since the 1930s, was operated by, or with some, Mafia involvement. In March 1965, the estate that had owned the property for over 150 years sold it, along with five adjacent properties, to Burt and Lucille Handelsman, who were wealthy real estate investors. In 1934, Bonnie’s Stonewall Inn opened here as a popular Greenwich Village bar and restaurant, and operated until 1964, when the interior was destroyed by fire. In 1930, they were combined with one façade to house a bakery. The two buildings were constructed as stables in the mid-19th century.