Establishment of the Stonewall National Monument, 42215-42219 [X16-10629]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 29, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 42215-42219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: X16-10629]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 29, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 42215]]

                Proclamation 9465 of June 24, 2016

                
Establishment of the Stonewall National Monument

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Christopher Park, a historic community park located 
                immediately across the street from the Stonewall Inn in 
                the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City 
                (City), is a place for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 
                transgender (LGBT) community to assemble for marches 
                and parades, expressions of grief and anger, and 
                celebrations of victory and joy. It played a key role 
                in the events often referred to as the Stonewall 
                Uprising or Rebellion, and has served as an important 
                site for the LGBT community both before and after those 
                events.

                As one of the only public open spaces serving Greenwich 
                Village west of 6th Avenue, Christopher Park has long 
                been central to the life of the neighborhood and to its 
                identity as an LGBT-friendly community. The park was 
                created after a large fire in 1835 devastated an 
                overcrowded tenement on the site. Neighborhood 
                residents persuaded the City to condemn the 
                approximately 0.12-acre triangle for public open space 
                in 1837. By the 1960s, Christopher Park had become a 
                popular destination for LGBT youth, many of whom had 
                run away from or been kicked out of their homes. These 
                youth and others who had been similarly oppressed felt 
                they had little to lose when the community clashed with 
                the police during the Stonewall Uprising.

                In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, a riot 
                broke out in response to a police raid on the Stonewall 
                Inn, at the time one of the City's best known LGBT 
                bars. Over the course of the next several days, more 
                demonstrations and riots occurred in the surrounding 
                neighborhood including Christopher Park. During these 
                days, because of its strategic location across from the 
                bar, Christopher Park served as a gathering place, 
                refuge, and platform for the community to voice its 
                demand for LGBT civil rights. The Stonewall Uprising is 
                considered by many to be the catalyst that launched the 
                modern LGBT civil rights movement. From this place and 
                time, building on the work of many before, the Nation 
                started the march--not yet finished--toward securing 
                equality and respect for LGBT people.

                Christopher Park and its environs have remained a key 
                gathering place for the LGBT community. For example, on 
                June 26, 2015, within moments of the issuance of the 
                Supreme Court's historic ruling in Obergefell v. 
                Hodges, LGBT people headed to Christopher Park to 
                celebrate the Court's recognition of a constitutional 
                right to same-sex marriage. A few days later, Governor 
                Cuomo continued that celebration by officiating at the 
                marriage of two gay men directly outside the Stonewall 
                Inn. Within minutes of the recent news of the murders 
                of 49 people in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida--one of 
                the most deadly shootings in American history--LGBT 
                people and their supporters in New York headed again to 
                Christopher Park to mourn, heal, and stand together in 
                unity for the fundamental values of equality and 
                dignity that define us as a country.

                Today, Christopher Park is surrounded by brick 
                sidewalks and a nineteenth century wrought-iron fence 
                with gated openings. Educational signs about the 
                Stonewall Uprising are found near the large arched main 
                entryway. Divided into two halves, the western side of 
                the park is open to the public

[[Page 42216]]

                on a daily basis and contains a small plaza lined with 
                brick pavers and benches. George Segal's sculpture, 
                ``Gay Liberation,'' stands as a focal point of the 
                plaza. The sculpture was commissioned in 1979 on the 
                tenth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, and its 
                installation in 1992 cemented Christopher Park's role 
                as a destination for those wishing to understand the 
                significance of the Stonewall Uprising. The eastern 
                half of the park contains two structures erected in 
                1936: a statue of Civil War General Philip Sheridan, 
                and a memorial flagstaff and plaque honoring Colonel 
                Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth, an officer with the New York 
                Fire Zouaves during the Civil War.

                Across the street from Christopher Park is the target 
                of the June 28, 1969, police raid, the Stonewall Inn 
                (51-53 Christopher Street), originally built in 1843 
                and 1846 as two separate two-story horse stables. In 
                1930, the two buildings were combined into one 
                commercial space with a new single exterior facade. In 
                1934, the first-floor space opened as a restaurant 
                called Bonnie's Stonewall Inn, which served the 
                neighborhood for over 30 years. The restaurant closed 
                in 1966, but was reopened in 1967 as an LGBT bar called 
                the Stonewall Inn.

                The streets and sidewalks in the neighborhood 
                surrounding Christopher Park and the Stonewall Inn are 
                an integral part of the neighborhood's historic 
                character and played a significant role in the 
                Stonewall Uprising. The narrow streets bend, wrap back 
                on themselves, and otherwise create directional havoc. 
                In the early 1800s, the residents rejected the City's 
                attempts to enlarge the neighborhood streets and align 
                them with the City's grid plan, and the extension of 
                Seventh Avenue South through the area in the early 
                1900s only added confusion. During the Stonewall 
                Uprising, this labyrinthine street pattern helped the 
                LGBT demonstrators, who knew the neighborhood, to evade 
                riot-control police, who were not from the local 
                precinct.

                Viewed from Christopher Park's central location, this 
                historic landscape--the park itself, the Stonewall Inn, 
                the streets and sidewalks of the surrounding 
                neighborhood--reveals the story of the Stonewall 
                Uprising, a watershed moment for LGBT civil rights and 
                a transformative event in the Nation's civil rights 
                movement on par with the 1848 Women's Rights Convention 
                at Seneca Falls and the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery March 
                for voting rights in its role in energizing a broader 
                community to demand equal rights.

                Although the 1960s were a time of social and political 
                change that brought greater freedom to many segments of 
                society, these new-found freedoms did not extend to 
                members of the LGBT community. They faced increased 
                oppression and criminal prosecution even for being 
                physically intimate with consensual partners. In New 
                York City, LGBT people were frequently arrested for 
                acts such as same-sex dancing and kissing and wearing 
                clothes of the perceived opposite gender. In some 
                States, adults of the same sex caught having consensual 
                sex in their own home could receive sentences of up to 
                life in prison or be confined to a mental institution, 
                where they faced horrific procedures, such as shock 
                therapy, castration, and lobotomies. LGBT Americans 
                lived their lives in secrecy for fear of losing their 
                jobs, being evicted from their homes, or being 
                arrested. For LGBT people of color or living in 
                poverty, life was especially challenging.

                For over a century, Greenwich Village has attracted 
                Americans of all kinds with an interest in political 
                activism and nonconformity. By the 1930s, Greenwich 
                Village was home to a significant LGBT community. 
                Despite the aggressive anti-LGBT policies and practices 
                that emerged in the City in the 1950s and 60s, a 
                variety of bars, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, and 
                private clubs catered to an LGBT clientele. Many 
                establishments lasted only a few months before police 
                raided them and shut them down, a practice that 
                intensified during mayoral election years such as 1969.

                The police frequently raided LGBT bars for illegally 
                selling alcoholic drinks to ``homosexuals.'' LGBT bars 
                operated by organized crime syndicates often paid off 
                members of the police force and in return received tips 
                about when raids were planned. As part of a crackdown 
                on LGBT bars in June 1969, the Public Morals squad of 
                Manhattan's First Police Division raided

[[Page 42217]]

                the Stonewall Inn on June 24, 1969, confiscated its 
                liquor, and arrested its employees. The Stonewall Inn 
                reopened the next day. Having made only minimal impact 
                with this raid, the police decided to plan a surprise 
                raid for the following Friday night or Saturday 
                morning, when the bar would be crowded.

                On June 28, 1969, undercover police officers raided the 
                Stonewall Inn around 1:15 a.m., after one of them 
                witnessed the illegal sale of alcohol. Customers 
                resisted the police by refusing to show identification 
                or go into a bathroom so that a police officer could 
                verify their sex. As police officers began making 
                arrests, the remaining customers gathered outside 
                instead of dispersing as they had in the past. They 
                cheered when friends emerged from the bar under police 
                escort, and they shouted ``Gay Power!'' and ``We Want 
                Freedom!''. As word spread, the gathering grew in size 
                and a riot ultimately ensued. Around 3:00 a.m., the 
                City's riot-control force appeared, and started to push 
                the crowd away from the Stonewall Inn. But the crowd 
                refused to disperse. Groups of demonstrators retreated 
                to nearby streets, only to cut back and regroup near 
                the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park. The riot 
                finally abated about 4:30 a.m., but during the next 
                week several more protests formed, and in some cases, 
                led to new riots and confrontations with the police.

                The Stonewall Uprising changed the Nation's history. 
                After the Stonewall incident, the LGBT community across 
                the Nation realized its power to join together and 
                demand equality and respect. Within days of the events, 
                Stonewall seemed to galvanize LGBT communities across 
                the country, bringing new supporters and inspiring LGBT 
                activists to organize demonstrations to show support 
                for LGBT rights in several cities. One year later, the 
                number of LGBT organizations in the country had grown 
                from around 50 to at least 1,500, and Pride Marches 
                were held in a number of large cities to commemorate 
                the Stonewall Uprising.

                The quest for LGBT equality after Stonewall evolved 
                from protests and small gatherings into a nationwide 
                movement. Lesbian women, gay men, bisexual and 
                transgender people united to ensure equal rights for 
                all people regardless of their sexual orientation or 
                gender identity. Hard-fought civil rights victories in 
                courtrooms and statehouses across the country set the 
                stage for victories in the Supreme Court that would 
                have seemed unthinkable to those who rose up in 
                Greenwich Village in June 1969. Today, communities, 
                cities, and nations celebrate LGBT Pride Days and 
                Months, and the number of Pride events approaches 
                1,000. The New York City Police Department now has an 
                LGBT Liaison Unit to build positive relations with the 
                LGBT community, and provides the community with expert 
                protection when threats are identified. Most 
                importantly, the Nation's laws and jurisprudence 
                increasingly reflect the equal treatment that the LGBT 
                community deserves. There is important distance yet to 
                travel, but through political engagement and 
                litigation, as well as individual acts of courage and 
                acceptance, this movement has made tremendous progress 
                toward securing equal rights and equal dignity.

                WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code 
                (known as the ``Antiquities Act''), authorizes the 
                President, in the President's discretion, to declare by 
                public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and 
                prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic 
                or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands 
                owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be 
                national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof 
                parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases shall 
                be confined to the smallest area compatible with the 
                proper care and management of the objects to be 
                protected;

                WHEREAS, in 2000, the Secretary of the Interior 
                (Secretary) designated the Stonewall Inn, Christopher 
                Park, and portions of the surrounding neighborhood as a 
                National Historic Landmark for its association with the 
                Stonewall Uprising, a momentous event that inspired a 
                national LGBT civil rights movement;

[[Page 42218]]

                WHEREAS, for the purpose of establishing a national 
                monument to be administered by the National Park 
                Service, the City of New York has donated to the 
                Federal Government fee title to the approximately 0.12-
                acre Christopher Park;

                WHEREAS, the designation of a national monument at the 
                site of the Stonewall Uprising would elevate its 
                message and story to the national stage and ensure that 
                future generations would learn about this turning point 
                that sparked changes in cultural attitudes and national 
                policy towards LGBT people over the ensuing decades;

                WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to preserve and 
                protect Christopher Park and the historic objects 
                associated with it in the Stonewall National Historic 
                Landmark;

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by the authority vested in me 
                by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, 
                hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are 
                situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or 
                controlled by the Federal Government to be the 
                Stonewall National Monument (monument) and, for the 
                purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as a part 
                thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or 
                controlled by the Federal Government within the 
                boundaries described on the accompanying map, which is 
                attached to and forms a part of this proclamation. The 
                reserved Federal lands and interests in lands encompass 
                approximately 0.12 acres. The boundaries described on 
                the accompanying map are confined to the smallest area 
                compatible with the proper care and management of the 
                objects to be protected.

                All Federal lands and interests in lands within the 
                boundaries described on the accompanying map are hereby 
                appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, 
                location, selection, sale, or other disposition under 
                the public land laws, from location, entry, and patent 
                under the mining laws, and from disposition under all 
                laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing.

                The establishment of the monument is subject to valid 
                existing rights. If the Federal Government acquires any 
                lands or interests in lands not owned or controlled by 
                the Federal Government within the boundaries described 
                on the accompanying map, such lands and interests in 
                lands shall be reserved as a part of the monument, and 
                objects identified above that are situated upon those 
                lands and interests in lands shall be part of the 
                monument, upon acquisition of ownership or control by 
                the Federal Government.

                The Secretary shall manage the monument through the 
                National Park Service, pursuant to applicable legal 
                authorities, consistent with the purposes and 
                provisions of this proclamation. The Secretary shall 
                prepare a management plan, with full public involvement 
                and in coordination with the City, within 3 years of 
                the date of this proclamation. The management plan 
                shall ensure that the monument fulfills the following 
                purposes for the benefit of present and future 
                generations: (1) to preserve and protect the objects of 
                historic interest associated with the monument, and (2) 
                to interpret the monument's objects, resources, and 
                values related to the LGBT civil rights movement. The 
                management plan shall, among other things, set forth 
                the desired relationship of the monument to other 
                related resources, programs, and organizations, both 
                within and outside the National Park System.

                The National Park Service is directed to use applicable 
                authorities to seek to enter into agreements with 
                others, and the New York City Department of Parks and 
                Recreation in particular, to enhance public services 
                and promote management efficiencies.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke 
                any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; 
                however, the monument shall be the dominant 
                reservation.

[[Page 42219]]

                Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not 
                to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature 
                of this monument and not to locate or settle upon any 
                of the lands thereof.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

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