Arrested for Standing on the Corner
A Seattle man is hauled off to jail for the simple crime of engaging in a public conversation that obstructed the sidewalk.
M. W. Hood was arrested yesterday by Officer Osborn on the charge of obstructing the streets. It is claimed that Hood was talking to a crowd of men at the corner of Taylor Avenue and Second Street. Officer Osborn told him to move along, but he thought he did not have to, and the difference of opinion led to his arrest.
“Officer Osborn told him to move along, but he thought he did not have to, and the difference of opinion led to his arrest.”
Public space in downtown Seattle has always been a contested zone. The arrest of M. W. Hood for 'obstructing the street' echoes modern debates over loitering and the policing of public space in rapidly growing, high-density cities.
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