The Price of Policing the 'Unfortunates'
A budget report reveals that Seattle’s municipal court revenue plummeted after a policy change regarding how the city policed its marginalized citizens.
R. M. Crawford, clerk of the municipal court, has prepared a statement on court expenses for the fiscal year. While receipts from fines and fees previously exceeded expenses, the last five months showed a deficit. Crawford noted: 'The main cause of this was a change of policy made December 1, 1893, in reference to imposing a fine each month upon a certain class of unfortunates, which amounted to a loss of about $850 a month.'
“The main cause of this was a change of policy made December 1, 1893, in reference to imposing a fine each month upon a certain class of unfortunates.”
This 1894 report provides a rare, frank admission that the city relied on the targeted fining of specific groups to balance its budget—a precursor to modern debates over 'taxation by citation' and the predatory nature of municipal court revenue generation.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.