Summer Of Sixty Nine

Chapter 9. The Raid

"EVERYONE AGAINST THE WALLS!!" Great. This is great. More cops. I did as I was told and went up against the wall next to Gio. "What is going on?" I ask Gio in a whisper tone. Any form of alcohol that was in his body flew out the window and he was suddenly sober. "A raid. They gather all of the dykes and drag queens. They also get their payoff and take all the liquor, since we don't have a licence. Here take this." I nodded and grabbed the fake ID out of his hands. "Form of Identification out," the cops' voices boomed off of the echoing person filled walls. I stuck out 'my' fake ID while the cops came over to check it. The cop took it out of my hands, he looked at the ID and back at me. He didn't seem convinced. "Go." The tall muscular man said firmly. I grabbed the ID and walked to the exit. I turned back to Gio to make sure he was okay and he gestured for me to go. So I did. I walked out of the front door and waited. Waiting to make sure that all my friends were safe. I knew that they weren't all going to make it out okay. Gio, Kai, and Annie were most likely going to make it out okay. But Tayse, Tayse is a drag queen, I have no clue whether she will be okay or not. Then I remember, Sylvia is in there. What if she doesn't make it out okay? My mind goes a million miles a second. Worrying about my friends was new to me.

The crowd grew around the Stonewall Inn. It was like everyone on Christopher Street showed up in support. Everyone was looking around in confusion, all of us were either waiting for people to be released or waiting to see what was going to happen.

"Make way for the queen!" I suddenly heard Gio shout before coming out of the bar. "GIO!" I ran to him and engulfed him in a huge hug. "Are you okay? Are you hurt." I examined his body making sure that he was fine. "Danny, I'm good." He looked at me in my worried eyes and made all of the stress fade away. "Where is everyone else?" I am still slightly worried. "Annie and Kai should be out in a second, and Tayse is a fighter so she will be fine." I nod and make our way back to a spot to look at the bar entrance. Waiting is something I was never good at. I hate waiting for things to happen or for opportunities to come to me. Waiting and worrying is never a good combination either. People getting dragged out of the bar is a horrid scene to watch. I want to help but I don't want to get hurt more than I already am. "HERE SHE IS!" I hear Tayse's voice before I see her. She struts out of the bar hand and with Kai and Annie. Both Gio and I run up to them and engulf them in a warm embrace. "We are so glad you are okay."  Gio nods vigorously. "What is with the crowd?" Annie asks, confused. "I'm not sure. When I came out there was a crowd forming. I just thought it was normal after raids." I answer just as confused as ever. "Yeah, no. This is not normal. I wonder why everyone is here." Gio comments and is followed by Kai shrugging.

Gio's POV

It just seemed like a regular raid. But as soon as the cops came in I knew it was going to be bad this time. The more the crowd grew I became angrier. Why are we all just standing here and doing nothing about the situation in front of us? Suddenly I hear a scream. I look at the entrance of the bar. Is that Stormé? Stormé is a local butch lesbian. Did they get her? "MY CUFFS!" We all hear her scream repeatedly. Her cuffs are too tight. "HER CUFF ARE TOO TIGHT! LOOSEN THEM!" I yell into the crowd of people, hoping someone does something. "WHY ARE YOU ALL JUST STANDING THERE! DO SOMETHING!" I hear her screams and I see blood. Blood coming from her wrists and head. These cops are doing this to her. Making this poor woman suffer just because she is gay.

Danny's POV

Everything seemed like a fever dream. People were screaming, blood was drawn, and no one was going to make it out without a scratch. A drink was thrown from the crowd of people into the crowd of cops. We all looked around to find the source but it didn't matter. This meant war. This is the rebellion we have all wanted. "PIGS!" I scream to the cops and plain clothes in front of us. I normally don't disrespect law enforcement but I was sick and tired of being treated like crap. I am human just like them. I want to love just like them. I want to live life, and they are making it impossible to live without fear.