The Stonewall riots were a series of violent conflicts between gay men, drag queens and lesbians against a police officer raid in New York City. The first night of rioting began on Friday, June 28, 1969 at about 1:20 am, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar operating without a state license in Greenwich Village. "Stonewall" is considered a turning point for the modern gay rights movement worldwide. Newspaper coverage of the events was minor in the city, since, in the Sixties, huge marches and mass rioting had become commonplace and the Stonewall disturbances were relatively small.