Tay-Bush Inn raid
1961 police raid in San Francisco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tay-Bush Inn raid was a 1961 police raid on an all-night, one-room café in San Francisco, California. It was the largest raid on a gay bar in this city and is considered a pivotal event in the history of LGBT rights in San Francisco.[1][2]
- Bush Street at Taylor Street,
Lower Nob Hill, San Francisco, California, U.S.
| Part of Gay liberation movement | |
| Date | September 14, 1961 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Tay-Bush Inn |
| Location |
|
Background
On August 28, 1951, the Supreme Court of California ruled in Stoumen v. Reilly that gays have a right to freely assemble.[3][4] Despite this, by the mid 1950s, and with and with the support of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and newly elected San Francisco mayor George Christopher, the San Francisco Police Department was able to exploit vague and imprecise language in the Stoumen v. Reilly ruling to continue to surveil, harass, and raid gay bars.[1][3] In 1960, the “gayola” scandal revealed a pattern of San Francisco police demanding bribes from bar owners to protect them from raids, the exposure of which ended the policy and led to an even stricter crackdown on gay establishments. [3]
The Raid
At 3:15 a.m. on September 14, 1961, undercover police officers arrested 103 patrons of the Tay-Bush Inn, most of whom were charged as “visitors to a disorderly house”.[1] The arrested were described in the press as mostly white and middle-class men.[5] Ultimately, all but two of the charges were eventually dropped.[1]
Aftermath and Legacy
The raid marked a turning point in public opinion. In response to the incident, media coverage became more critical of the SFPD’s policing methods.[1] The LGBTQ community also organized new groups to combat these injustices, namely the Society for Individual Rights (SIR), Citizens Alert, the Tavern Guild, and the Council of Religion and the Homosexual (CRH).[3]
Following the Tay-Bush Inn raid, the 1965 New Years Ball at California Hall (a fundraiser for the Council on Religion and the Homosexual and other homophile organizations) also ended in a police raid and subsequent lawsuit for gay rights.[6][7]
The site of the Tay-Bush Inn is now called the La Galleria Condominiums (at 900 Bush Street), a 14-story building that contains 152 units.[1]
See also
- Gayola, a type of police bribe
- Hazel's Inn raid (1956)
- Cooper Do-nuts Riot (1959)
