The Black Cat Tavern

The Black Cat Tavern is a historic gay bar in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. On New Year's Eve 1966 into 1967, LAPD officers raided the bar and beat and arrested patrons. In response, roughly 200 people gathered on February 11, 1967, in a peaceful demonstration against police harassment of LGBT people. Contrary to popular retelling, there was no riot at the bar itself; the landmark event was this organized public protest. It came more than two years before the Stonewall uprising and is recognized as one of the earliest and largest LGBTQ+ civil rights demonstrations in the country. The building was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2008.