Clearing the Streets of 'Washington Street Aristocrats'
Local police launch a crackdown on the city's 'vagrants,' forcing them to either work or leave town.
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.
The Police force has within the past few days been showing a most commendable activity in ridding the city of that class which passes under the general name of 'vagrants,' but which in reality comprises a miscellaneous assortment of thieves and blacklegs. Numbers of these have been forced to leave the city, and many who refused to do so have been arrested and put to work. Chief Woolery and Officers Lind and Kelly made a raid Sunday night, and as a result half a dozen or more of the gentlemen of leisure left the city yesterday morning. A good many still remain, however; and the present activity should be continued until all of these Washington street aristocrats find it better to follow their departed brethren.
“The present activity should be continued until all of these Washington street aristocrats find it better to follow their departed brethren.”
This reflects a recurring cycle in Seattle history where local authorities prioritize aggressive 'cleanup' campaigns to push populations considered undesirable out of the downtown core—a strategy that predates modern debates about policing and displacement.
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