Editing Stonewall riots (section)

===Stonewall Inn===
{{Main|Stonewall Inn}}
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The Stonewall Inn, located at 51 and 53 [[Christopher Street]], along with several other establishments in the city, was owned by the [[Genovese crime family]].{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=183}} In 1966, three members of the Mafia invested $3,500 to turn the Stonewall Inn into a gay bar, after it had been a restaurant and a nightclub for heterosexuals. Once a week a police officer would collect envelopes of cash as a payoff known as a [[gayola]], as the Stonewall Inn had no [[liquor license]].{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=185}}{{sfn|Carter|2004|p=68}} It had no running water behind the bar—dirty glasses were run through tubs of water and immediately reused.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=181}} There were no fire exits, and the toilets overran consistently.{{sfn|Carter|2004|p=80}} Though the bar was not used for prostitution, drug sales and other black market activities took place. It was the only bar for gay men in New York City where dancing was allowed;{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=182}} dancing was its main draw since its re-opening as a gay club.{{sfn|Carter|2004|p=71}}

Visitors to the Stonewall Inn in 1969 were greeted by a [[bouncer]] who inspected them through a peephole in the door. The legal drinking age was 18 and to avoid unwittingly letting in undercover police (who were called "Lily Law", "Alice Blue Gown", or "Betty Badge"{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=187}}), visitors would have to be known by the doorman or 'look gay'. Patrons were required to sign their names in a book to prove that the bar was a private "bottle club", but they rarely signed their real names. There were two dance floors in the Stonewall. The interior was painted black, making it very dark inside, with pulsing gel lights or [[black light]]s. If police were spotted, regular white lights were turned on, signaling that everyone should stop dancing or touching.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=187}} In the rear of the bar was a smaller room frequented by "queens"; it was one of two bars where effeminate men who wore makeup and teased their hair (though dressed in men's clothing) could go.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=189}} Only a few people in full [[Drag (clothing)|drag]] were allowed in by the bouncers. The customers were "98 percent male" but a few lesbians sometimes came to the bar. Younger homeless adolescent males, who slept in nearby [[Christopher Park]], would often try to get in so customers would buy them drinks.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=188}} The age of the clientele ranged between the upper teens and early thirties and the racial mix was distributed among mainly white, with Black, and Hispanic patrons.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=189}}{{sfn|Deitcher|1995|p=70}} Because of its mix of people, its location, and the attraction of dancing, the Stonewall Inn was known by many as "''the'' gay bar in the city".{{sfn|Carter|2004|p=74}}

Police raids on gay bars were frequent, occurring on average once a month for each bar. Many bars kept extra liquor in a secret panel behind the bar, or in a car down the block, to facilitate resuming business as quickly as possible if alcohol was seized.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|p=183}} Bar management usually knew about raids beforehand due to police tip-offs, and raids occurred early enough in the evening that business could commence after the police had finished.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|pp=192–193}} During a typical raid, the lights were turned on and customers were lined up and their identification cards checked. Those without identification or dressed in full drag were arrested; others were allowed to leave. Some of the men, including those in drag, used their [[draft card]]s as identification. Women were required to wear three pieces of feminine clothing and would be arrested if found not wearing them. Typically, employees and management of the bars were also arrested.{{sfn|Duberman|1993|pp=192–193}} The period immediately before June&nbsp;28, 1969, was marked by frequent raids of local bars—including a raid at the Stonewall Inn on the Tuesday before the riots{{sfn|Carter|2004|pp=124–125}}—and the closing of the Checkerboard, the Tele-Star, and two other clubs in Greenwich Village.{{sfn|Teal|1971|p=4}}<ref name="nyt62969">{{Cite news |last=Eskow |first=Dennis |title=4 Policemen Hurt in 'Village' Raid: Melee Near Sheridan Square Follows Action at Bar |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0DE5DB1639EF3BBC4151DFB0668382679EDE |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 29, 1969 |page=33}} {{subscription required}}</ref>