The Stonewall Riots The history of Gay Pride Celebrations began in 1969 in Greenwich Village, New York City at the Stonewall Inn. Prior to the Stonewall riots of 1969, it was common all over the United States for police to raid gay and lesbian bars. While they were purportedly looking for liquor law or other violations, patrons were arrested and dragged off to jail with no legitimate charges. The names of those arrested were often published in the papers and many of those people were fired from their jobs as a result. In 1969 bars were about the only places gays and lesbians could gather in public. Most times, when the police would raid a bar, the gay and lesbian clientele would try to slip out the back or cower in the corners. But on the night of June 27th, 1969 something different happen