The Axe Squad Strikes First Avenue
Seattle police leave nothing standing as they raid the Breakers' cafe over liquor sales.
The ax squad of the Seattle police department was set to work in the Breakers’ cafe on First avenue recently and everything in the place was destroyed. The place was padlocked by the police after they had purchased liquor with marked money, they say. The demolished bar and fixtures were valued at several thousand dollars.
“The ax squad of the Seattle police department was set to work in the Breakers’ cafe on First avenue recently and everything in the place was destroyed.”
Long before Seattle became a tech hub, its policing was defined by dramatic raids on local business owners to enforce strict liquor laws. These 'ax squads' were a standard tool for destroying illicit inventory, creating a cycle of enforcement and rebuilding that defined the early 20th-century urban experience.
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