Activist Miss Major Recounts the First Night at the Stonewall Riots
May 31, 2019“Stonewall wasn’t done out of a sense of pride. It was done after a buildup of shit from constant police raids in Greenwich Village. It just came to a head like a pimple — and it got popped. The memory of that first night doesn’t come to me with a sense of joy or happiness, because so many of the girls and a few guys got really hurt. After the city police barged into the bar — with numbers and attitude — the prevalent feeling that night was fear. Looking at the riot squad was like watching Star Wars stormtroopers, but they were in black with riot gear, sticks, guns, mace, helmets, and shields. The brutalization as they moved across and down the street was like a tidal wave hitting a coastline city. It just hit and rolled over you. If you fought, you’d wind up down, and if you were down, they would keep beating on you.”