who threw the first brick in the stonewall riots
Marsha P. Johnson During another incident around this time, which landed Johnson in court, she was confronted by police officers for hustling in New York, and when they went to apprehend her, she hit them with her handbag, which contained two bricks. When Johnson was asked by the judge why she was hustling, Johnson explained she was trying to secure enough money for her husband's tombstone. During a time when same-sex marriage was illegal in the United States, the judge asked her what "happened to this alleged husband", Johnson responded, "Pigs killed him".[16] Initially sentenced to 90 days in prison for the assault, Johnson's lawyer eventually convinced the judge to sent her to Bellevue instead.[16]