This Day in History: June 28, 1969

In 1969 I was a 26-year-old radical in San Francisco. I read about the Stonewall riots in the Village Voice, which I usually bought at City Lights Bookstore. When I had a more or less stable address, I subscribed.

Though I've never even been to New York, the Voice's contributors were a significant political and intellectual influence on me.

In later years, I always read the Press Clips column by Alexander Cockburn, which he first wrote with James Ridgeway. Press Clips was unique at the time, a pioneer in media criticism. I don't remember the earliest version of the column, but I surely read it.

I of course approved of the riots, which the Voice covered extensively, though the coverage was marred by anti-gay terminology, which as a young straight reader I didn't note at the time. 

I remember being surprised to learn that the Voice's office was on the same block as the Stonewall bar. Seemed like a great neighborhood to me!

I don't remember if the SF Chronicle had anything on the riots.