What Happened at the 1969 Riots?

As police attempted to drag customers from the bar to waiting police wagons in the street, the crowd grew increasingly restless and agitated by the unfair treatment and a confrontation occurred between police and protestors.

The situation escalated until the Tactical Police Force was called in to clear the streets, which they did at around 4am. But something had changed that night and the local community realised that something needed to be done.

The events at the Stonewall Inn would inspire a global movement that continues to grow to this day.

The Stonewall Inn itself would close (later to reopen in 1972) but this flashpoint inspired the community to organize the world's first Pride Parade, taking place on 28 June 1970 (exactly one year after the raid), from Greenwich Village to Sheep Meadow in Central Park.

Although the bar itself would go through good and bad times over the following decades, the events of that evening of June 28, 1969 would be the epicentre of a global movement for equality and freedom from prejudice.