The Unwelcome Guest of Old Town
A Norwegian immigrant facing vagrancy charges finds himself sentenced to the street-sweeping squad.
An old man giving his name as Andrew Hanson Frederick Ole Hole was given a sentence of 25 days by Judge Griffin yesterday afternoon on the charge of vagrancy. Hole is a Norwegian, and since arriving here from his native country he has been, it seems, an unwelcome guest at the home of a former friend in Old Town. The old man is not addicted to the American habit of working, but he will nevertheless be a member of the street squad under Officer Bain.
“The old man is not addicted to the American habit of working, but he will nevertheless be a member of the street squad.”
This arrest highlights the rigid enforcement of vagrancy laws during the era, where homelessness and unemployment were frequently criminalized. Today, Tacoma's struggles with homelessness continue to spark intense debate, though the response has shifted from forced labor on the streets to complex questions of housing and social services.
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