What followed was a 45-minute melee, the crowd taking on the NYPD with rubbish bins, flaming garbage, cobblestones and bricks from a neighbouring construction site. The scene erupted.Īctivists Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera - trans women of colour, the former celebrating her 25th birthday that night – were among the first to throw bottles at the police before being joined by others throwing pennies and beer cans. Matters finally came to a head when one woman – later named as Storme DeLarverie - complained about the tight handcuffs placed on her wrists and was beaten with a nightstick, prompting her to fight back against four officers and incite the crowd to come to her aid. Onlookers began to chant “Gay power!” and sing “We Shall Overcome”, booing when an officer shoved a transvestite and cheering when he was hit in the face with a purse in retaliation. Suspected Mafia members were finally loaded into one wagon and arrested customers into another.
