Lit review
I read this shortly after visiting Stonewall for the first time; and was sad I'd missed out on a chance to check out the spot where this was just down the street.
The Women’s House of Detention stood in New York City’s Greenwich Village from 1929-1974 and gives us perhaps one of the most well-documented glimpses we have into the history of the carceral system from a queer perspective. As the neighborhood and country shifted, the prison became overcrowded, with a disproportionate amount of inmates being queer. Conditions and treatment were inhumane to the point of several historic protests. This book gives in-depth histories and interviews with some of those whose lives were impacted by the carceral system, as well as a broader look at flaws and discriminatory practices built into the system as a whole (many of which, we still fight today).
Angela Davis talks in her autobiography [add which one] about how she was housed here and (along with many others) advocated for better conditions in the prison.