Spokane Mayor Reorganizes Regulation of 'Social Evil'
A new administrative order aims to consolidate control over vice districts and increase municipal revenue through adjusted fines.
Mayor Boyd of Spokane has issued an order making radical changes in the methods of handling the 'social evil.' The city will now collect all fines assessed against women in these districts, rather than allowing them to be 'grafted' for private benefit. The order restricts these businesses to the 'burnt district,' and implements a tiered fine system, increasing fees for those in cribs and parlor houses. The mayor claims the move will increase city revenues by $100 a month while curbing the exploitative rent practices of landlords who currently demand high daily or monthly payments from the occupants.
“The mayor says that the new order will increase the revenues of the city $100 a month and at the same time protect the unfortunate women from the extortions of some grasping landlords.”
The management of 'vice districts' and the exploitation of vulnerable populations by landlords reflects the era's complicated approach to regulating illicit industries. While the language of 'social evil' is dated, the focus on city revenue vs. private exploitation and the containment of certain activities to specific zones remains a recurring theme in urban planning and policy.
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