October 15: OUTPOST

In 1969, the Stonewall Inn was an outpost in the Greenwich Village of New York City where gay people (mostly men) could congregate and feel at home. On June 28 of that year, police staged a raid at the Stonewall, and people fought back in what are now called the Stonewall Riots, the Stonewall Rebellion, or the Stonewall Uprising.

Today this event is recognized as the beginning of the Pride movement, which still takes place in June. In 2019 the NYPD Commissioner formally apologized for the actions of the department 50 years before. And the Stonewall Inn is marked as a National Monument. I hope that one day in Portland, Seattle, New York and other “anarchist jurisdictions,” there will be monuments to the people who stood up to, and for, our country.