Seymour Pine Dies at 91; Led Raid on Stonewall Inn

[no_hypocrisy]

Seymour Pine, the deputy police inspector who led the raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, on a hot summer night in 1969 — a moment that helped start the gay liberation movement — died Thursday at an assisted-living center in Whippany, N.J. He was 91.

His death was confirmed by his son Daniel.

Inspector Pine, who later apologized for his role in the raid, was commander of the New York Police Department’s vice squad for Lower Manhattan when he led eight officers into the Stonewall Inn, an illegal club frequented by cross-dressers, just after midnight on June 28, 1969.

Although the ostensible reason for the raid was to crack down on prostitution and other organized-crime activities, it was common at the time for the police to raid gay bars and arrest transvestites and harass customers.

The club, on Christopher Street near Seventh Avenue South, was owned by members of the Mafia. Inspector Pine later said he conducted the raid on orders from superiors.

-more-

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/nyregion/08pine.html?_r=1&hpw

One part of me condemns him as another "good German following orders" and another part celebrates that he was part of the beginning of liberation of GLBTs from political, societal, social, and legal persecution.

[AndyA]

1. Bittersweet snapshot in time.

What would things have been like today if the events at Stonewall that night in 1969 hadn't happened? Of course, it's shameful that that kind of stuff even happened, and still happens today, as well. There was an incident in a bar in Atlanta in recent years, as well as several others. I guess it's all that "do unto others" crap, because everyone would like to have their personal lives invaded by others, telling them how to live. :eyes:

There was a brand new 1969 Cadillac DeVille Convertible parked on the street that night, and it still survives to this day. I'm sure New Yorkers have seen it in parades, and there's a site about it here: http://www.stonewallvets.org/StonewallCar.htm

[DURHAM D]

2. Thank you for posting the link about the Caddy.

I had heard about the car but had never seen pics or realized it was still being used in such a wonderful way.

Some may find this odd but as a senior and a lesbian I found it very emotional. Evokes so many memories both good and bad of the past 40 years.

Gay rights are human rights. Gay rights are civil rights.

[RKP5637]

3. Thanks for the link!!! n/t