Cooper Do-nuts

Alternate Names
Cooper's Do-nuts
First Documented
1956
Last Documented
1956

Cooper Do-nuts
316 E 5th St
547 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
United States

Abstract
Predating the Stonewall Riots by ten years, Cooper Do-nuts was the site of a 1959 protest against the LAPD's harrassment of the gay and transgender clientele frequenting the shop. Due to Cooper Do-nuts' proximity to several gay and lesbian establishments, a case of resisting arrest evolved into a full-scale riot that is remembered as the first open act of LGBTQ resistance toward police abuse in the United States.
Citations

Avery, Dan. “5 Pre-Stonewall Moments That Changed the Course of LGBTQ History.” Logo: New, Now, Next, 1 June 2014

SAYiT. “LGBT+ History Month: The Cooper Donuts Riot - 1959.” SAYiT, 21 Feb. 2020

“LGBTQ History in Los Angeles: Cooper Do-Nuts and Black Cat Tavern.” Los Angeles Almanac, 31 Mar. 2021

Zonkel, Phillip. “Queer History Was Made at Cooper’s Donuts in Los Angeles.” Q Voice News, 3 May 2018

Moffitt, Evan. “Today in Gay History: 10 Years Before Stonewall, There Was the Cooper’s Donuts Riot.” Out, 31 May 2015

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Cooper Do-nuts

Predating the Stonewall Riots by ten years, Cooper Do-nuts was the site of a 1959 protest against the LAPD's harrassment of the gay and transgender clientele frequenting the shop. Due to Cooper Do-nuts' proximity to several gay and lesbian establishments, a case of resisting arrest evolved into a full-scale riot that is remembered as the first open act of LGBTQ resistance toward police abuse in the United States.

Cooper Do-nuts

Predating the Stonewall Riots by ten years, Cooper Do-nuts was the site of a 1959 protest against the LAPD's harrassment of the gay and transgender clientele frequenting the shop. Due to Cooper Do-nuts' proximity to several gay and lesbian establishments, a case of resisting arrest evolved into a full-scale riot that is remembered as the first open act of LGBTQ resistance toward police abuse in the United States.

The Black Cat

The Black Cat Tavern is the recognized site of the first documented LGBTQ civil rights demonstration. In February of 1967, over 200 LGBT patrons of the tavern marched peacefully in a counter-protest against police brutality following a raid in the tavern on New Year's Eve of 1966, where police entered the bar disguised in plainclothes and beat several patrons for exchanging same-sex kisses at the stroke of midnight.

The Patch Bar Flower Power Protest

The Patch Bar was the site of the 1968 arrest of two gay men that inspired the LGBTQ bar patrons and the venue's owner, Lee Glaze, to stage a peaceful "flower power" protest in the Harbor Division Police Station. The unique sit-in was characterized by the act of protestors buying large bouquets of flowers and holding them while occupying the police lobby.

The Black Cat

Abstract
The Black Cat Tavern is the recognized site of the first documented LGBTQ civil rights demonstration. In February of 1967, over 200 LGBT patrons of the tavern marched peacefully in a counter-protest against police brutality following a raid in the tavern on New Year's Eve of 1966, where police entered the bar disguised in plainclothes and beat several patrons for exchanging same-sex kisses at the stroke of midnight.
The ‘Black Cat gay riot’ is well-known… it’s also a myth LGBTQ History Made in Los Angeles: Cooper Do-Nuts and the Black Cat Tavern Stonewall Riots Grab The Spotlight From Black Cat Protests The Police, Disguised as Patrons, Attacked Queer People at the Black Cat Tavern Alexei Romanoff and the LGBT Civil Rights Legacy of The Black Cat

The Patch Bar Flower Power Protest

Abstract
The Patch Bar was the site of the 1968 arrest of two gay men that inspired the LGBTQ bar patrons and the venue's owner, Lee Glaze, to stage a peaceful "flower power" protest in the Harbor Division Police Station. The unique sit-in was characterized by the act of protestors buying large bouquets of flowers and holding them while occupying the police lobby.
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