Cooper Donut Uprising
The Cooper Donut Uprising was one of several poorly-documented pre-Stonewall LGBT-oriented civil unrest incidents.
In the 1950s, several gay bars were located on south Main Street in Los Angeles centered around 5th. and 6th. St. A small donut shop, Cooper's Donuts was nestled between two of them, Harold's and Waldorf. This 24-hour donut shop became a hangout for bar patrons, as well as drag queens, street people, and occasional TGs who were brave enough to step out in those days.
In 1951, California became the first US state in which gay bars could legally operate. Despite this landmark court ruling, heavy-handed tactics and entrapment reports were common. The bars in the area, as well as other businesses that were open to the public, were frequent targets for police raids.
Late one evening in May 1959, things got out of hand. As police entered a scuffle ensued and patrons hurled items such as ashtrays and coffee cups at police. Several arrests were made, including noted author John Rechy, whose charges were subsequently dropped.
Errata
Several web reports erroneously show a photo of a suburban donut stand as the alleged site of the incident. This is obviously in error since the setting of this uprising was a very earthy section of the inner city, a few blocks from Pershing Square in the downtown area. A parking structure now stands where Cooper's and various bars once stood.
