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Details about how the riot started vary from story to story. According to one account, a [[transgender]]ed woman named [[Sylvia Rivera]] threw a bottle at a police officer after being prodded by his [[club (weapon)|nightstick]] (Duberman). Another account states that a [[lesbian]], being brought to a patrol car through the crowd put up a struggle that encouraged the crowd to do the same (D’Emilio 232). Whatever the case may be, [[mêlée]] broke out across the crowd—which quickly overtook the police. Stunned, the police retreated into the bar. [[Heterosexual]] folk singer [[Dave van Ronk]], who was walking through the area, was grabbed by the police, pulled into the bar, and beaten. The crowd’s attacks were unrelenting. Some tried to light the bar on [[Arson|fire]]. Others used a [[parking meter]] as a [[battering ram]] to force the police officers out. Word quickly spread of the riot and many residents, as well as patrons of nearby bars, rushed to the scene.
Throughout the night the police singled out many transgendered people and gender nonconformists, including [[butch]] women and [[effeminate]] men, among others, often beating them. On the first night alone 13 people were arrested and four police officers, as well as an undetermined number of protesters, were injured. It is known, however, that at least two rioters were severely beaten by the police (Duberman 201-202). Bottles and stones were thrown by protesters who chanted “Gay Power!” The crowd, estimated at over 2000, fought with over 400 police officers.
The police sent additional forces in the form of the [[Tactical Patrol Force]], a riot-control squad originally trained to counter [[Vietnam War]] protesters. The tactical patrol force arrived to disperse the crowd. However, they failed to break up the crowd, who sprayed them with rocks and other projectiles.
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