Mary’s Naturally Raid (1980)

On June 20th, 1980, Houston police continued its tradition of raiding a gay bar before Gay Pride Week for the third consecutive year by arresting 61 people at Mary’s Naturally, including the owner and manager. Witnesses in the bar remarked on the excessive force that HPD used in arresting individuals, pushing them against the walls and selecting those that were shirtless or in leather. One witness warned, “Next time, it’ll be a Stonewall,” going to show how fed up the Houston community had become with the raids. Prominent activist Ray Hill became involved with the incident by questioning the police chief about the coincidence of the raids with Pride Week. The chief defended the raids, citing anonymous complaints of lewd behavior from citizens. Local news outlets had also been tipped off to the planned raid, already by the bar when it was raided; all news channels reported the incident with themes of police harassment and verbally acknowledging the growing tense relations between HPD and the gay community. [5]