Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day February 9 9, 1886, Seattle, Washington is under martial law.

Tensions had been brewing in Seattle for months centered in the Chinese district where there was increasing

competition and anger over the lack of jobs. There were violent outbreaks

against Chinese immigrants and workers throughout the 1870s and 80s and then at this moment in early

1886 a group of people claiming to be health inspectors went into

Seattle's Chinatown and this mob will call it a mob declared Chinese occupied

buildings unfit for habitation and herded the residents to the harbor where they

tried to funnel some 350 people onto a ship called the Queen of the Pacific.

Basically mob violence trying to extract a bunch of workers and immigrants from

Chinatown and put them on a ship and who knows what after that.

But local police did nothing to challenge this mob.

Someone from a militia though that had been called by the governor,

fired into the crowd, killing at least one person and injuring others and causing chaos and that is when

president Grover Cleveland intervened declaring martial law in Seattle and

that began on this day February 9th and it would last well into the summer.

So here to discuss those Seattle riots and these larger issues of Chinese immigration,

labor disputes is, as always, Nicole Hammer of Columbia.

Hello, Nicky.

Hey there, Jody.

And Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley.

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