Did Mafia Prompt Stonewall Uprising?

"[Carlo Gambino] didn't personally go in there and pat people on the ass. They weren't supporting the gay lifestyle, they were supporting their own lifestyle [and robbing a lot of people in the process]..."

Exploring Mafia’s role in NYC’s gay bars | gay news | Washington Blade: "Author Alex Hortis will lead an audio-visual presentation focusing on his new book, “The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York” (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2014) at the Enoch Pratt Free Library on May 7 at 7 p.m. He will discuss how and why the Mafia was able to run many of New York City’s gay bars in the 1960s and 1970s and will include a local perspective.



“With little competition, the Mafia could charge high prices for substandard amenities,” Hortis said. “Mobsters were often willing to sacrifice their gay customers during staged police raids to appease the public, too. These frustrations boiled over on Saturday, June 28, 1969, when patrons of the Mafia-owned Stonewall Inn fought back against a police raid.” He and other historians have concluded that the 1969 Stonewall uprising was, in large part, a reaction against the mob-run system of gay bars.

Comments

  1. The Genovese family had a lock on this industry in the village.

    Old School Anonymous

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    Replies
    1. Yes, interesting story their, of which more we will hear.... haven't forgotten Albanian story. Will get to soon, Old Scool....

      Delete
    2. Thanks
      Old School Anonymous

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