Martys gay bar

Inless than a year after Stonewall, the police raided the Snake Pit bar and detained many people at the local police station. After one person attempted to escape and was impaled on a fence, the Gay Activists Alliance and Gay Liberation Front quickly assembled a protest march, the results of which demonstrated the strength of the recently formed gay rights organizations and inspired more people to become politically active.

Marty Robinson protesting Diego Vinales' injuries, March 8, Photo by Diana Davies.

Marty’s Martini Bar joins 2Bears Tavern Group, heads for new Andersonville location

Courtesy of the New York Public Library. Photo by Frank Giorandino. Source: New York Post Archives. Detail of West 10th Street, showing the stairwell to the right of the corner storefront leading to the basement bar space, The Texas Chili Parlor operates on the ground floor to the right of the apartment building entry.

Photo by John Gay Bayley. The building at West 10th Street, showing the stairwell to the right of the corner storefront leading to the basement bar space, Stairwell and iron rail that leads to the former basement entrance of the Snake Pit, located to the left of the apartment building entry.

Stairwell to the former basement entrance of the Snake Pit. Fearing similar rioting from the large crowd of male patrons, the police arrested people, who were taken to the 6th Bar Precinct Station House at Charles Street. Argentinian immigrant Diego Vinaleswho was only 23 years old and visiting a gay bar for the first time, panicked over the possibility of deportation since his visa had expired, tried to escape from the third bar of the jail, and was impaled on the martys fence below.

He was cut loose along with part of the fence by firemen, taken to St. A number of arrested men found an empty police office and started making phone calls to Gay Activists Alliance GAA leaders and to the press. The Daily News became interested in the story. A candlelight vigil was also held at St. This incident, which received much media coverage, is credited with greatly inspiring more LGBT people to become politically active, including many who had not following Stonewall, gay as future film historian Vito Russofuture GAA president Morty Manfordand educator Arnie Kantrowitz.

It also demonstrated the strength of the recently formed gay rights movement organizations. Charges against him were dropped by the City in June, but he still faced the U. Immigration Bureau. While no one knows what happened to him afterward, journalist Arthur Bell martys visit him at his home in New Jersey later that year.

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