Boston, Massachusetts. Sept. 9th, 1919. That was the day that the police force in Boston ran out of negotiation options and went on strike. After the first night of quiet, the city went crazy and militia were called in. Murders, property damage, rape, and looting were rampant. The volunteers (scabs) taking the officers' place were in way over their heads.
I thought I'd bring you some long-forgotten history today, and maybe some perspective. The police force in Boston had wages that hadn't risen since the Civil War, and the war wages that were promised to rise if they waited, didn't rise. They were denied having a Union to speak for them, most of them were immigrants (Irish, mostly), and working conditions were awful. They had to try to afford expensive uniforms that cost around $207.25 on a $21.90 weekly salary.
How bad were working conditions? Try rats in the bunkhouse and one day off for every fifteen days on the job. 12 hour beats ( walking routes) on the streets. They did speak up. They tried to get provided uniforms, higher wages, and better work conditions for months. Then Edwin Curtis became commissioner and forbid any outside clubs aside from American Legion. 19 officers were suspended for going against his orders and creating an AFL chapter (on Aug. 15th). The vote on Sept. 8th on walking out on the job was 1,134 (for) to 2 (against).
Sept. 10th Arthur McGill was shot on Howard Street when Scollay Square was cleared. Four hours later, three men were shot dead or fatally wounded elsewhere. Sept. 11th Richard Reemts, a striking officer, was shot dead. Raymond Barnes was killed 11 am. that day for curiosity at a group of craps players being moved (more than 30 of them). That night two young men were killed after finding either a craps player or a man picking up a manhole. The final death was Sept. 13th, when Gustave Gaist (WWI veteran) was shot trying to seize a soldier's rifle.
At the end of all this violence -when a majority of officers walked off the job - returning service men replaced them and got everything they had gone on strike for. Calvin Coolidge, the current governor, was quoted saying "There is no right to strike against public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime." This meant that no striking officer recovered their jobs, and they struggled long after to continue making income. Their last resort to get heard cost them everything.
Why remember this?
Defunding police is a big issue nowadays. This time some of the public wants to cut funding to police, or disband them entirely. This could potentially resemble what our world may look like if it happens. Less police mean less help for the vulnerable. Do you want to see a world where you are afraid to leave your home at night? Or even during the day? The images of this historic strike may give you some idea of what disbanding police may look like and how Irish (or immigrant) police officers fought to make a living. Let's not forget our history lessons.
Also, if you want a good representation of this historic event, I suggest the historical fiction The Given Day by Dennis Lehane. It is an excellent picture of this event and time period. The link for the book on Amazon is below.
Pictures:
UMass Boston Blogs
Universal Hub
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Boston-Police-Strike
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