New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson urged the New York Police Department to issue an official apology for the raid on the Stonewall Inn in 1969, long seen as the birth of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
Said Johnson to 1010 WINS: “The NYPD in the past has apologized for other incidents that have occurred, so I think the NYPD apologizing on this would be a very, very good thing, and it’s something they should do. I think it’s never bad to apologize. One thing that personally I do, is if I think I’ve made a mistake, I try to say I’m sorry, I was wrong and I learn from that because I don’t think there is anything wrong with admitting a mistake. It shows decency to recognize something that you may have done wrong. I would love for it happen this month and I will bring it up to the police commissioner. I will have a conversation with [the NYPD commissioner] about it because I think it would be an important step toward further healing and reconciliation and recognizing what happened in that crucial moment, and not just in American history, but New York history in June of 1969.”
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill, who in 2017 said that the discrimination and violence displayed at the raid had been “addressed already,” told 1010 WINS: “The NYPD of today is much different than the department of 50 years ago, and a number of important changes have been implemented that bring the police and all the communities we serve closer together. More than three million people from across the globe will come to New York City to take part in World Pride and this month-long celebration of equality. We are looking forward to the many events surrounding this year’s milestone anniversary, and to working with all attendees to ensure that everyone not only is safe, but feels safe, too.”
