The Art of the Sidewalk Gaze
A San Francisco man is fined $100 for whistling at women on a Tacoma street corner.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
C. McFadden, an overgrown, handsome boy, who lives in San Francisco, and who was arrested Wednesday evening charged with flirting with young women at 9th and Pacific, was fined $100 and costs yesterday afternoon by Judge Arntson. The young man told a straightforward story that appeared to impress every person in the court room except the judge. McFadden was merely walking along the street whistling 'My Irene,' he said, when two young women passing giggled at him in an attempt to attract his attention.
“The young man told a straightforward story that appeared to impress every person in the court room except the judge.”
Street harassment laws from the early 20th century were often wielded inconsistently, frequently targeting transients or visitors like the unfortunate Mr. McFadden. Today, while public space norms have evolved, the tension between aggressive 'flirting' and personal autonomy remains a core element of municipal code debates.
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