Police Urged to 'Clean Out' Seattle's Vagabonds
An editorial from the Post-Intelligencer calls for the removal of 'worthless vagabonds' from the city, warning of potential murder and riots.
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.
There are a number of worthless vagabonds loafing in and about this city, living off of lunch counters and what they can steal. They are neither useful nor ornamental, and it is about time Chief Woolery was giving some of them notice to clear out. The authority to rid the town of vagabonds lies with the Chief of Police, and should be exercised by him, and also delegated to other police officers. If this low-lived, vagrant class is permitted to remain, serious results may follow, and the best we know, the people will be called upon to string a lot of them up for murdering some valuable citizen. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let the town be freed of these vagabonds, and a good work will have been accomplished.
“They are neither useful nor ornamental, and it is about time Chief Woolery was giving some of them notice to clear out.”
This editorial reflects a familiar, century-long tension in Seattle regarding homelessness and the criminalization of poverty. The language used to dehumanize these 'vagabonds' mirrors modern debates over public space, enforcement, and the systemic neglect of vulnerable populations.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.