politics
How women & socialists toppled Seattle chain gangs
As word of the dire conditions in Seattle's jail and on the chain gang spread, the city's civilizing forces gained steam.
Knute Berger
Knute “Mossback” Berger is an editor-at-large and host of "Mossback’s Northwest" at Cascade PBS. He writes about politics and regional heritage.
Latest work
politics
Vermin, beatings & typhoid: Highlights of life in an early Seattle jail
Life on the chain gang was no picnic, but as one member put it, he'd rather be on the chain gang than in the city jail.
politics
Life on a Seattle chain gang
Not just a practice in the South, Seattle was its own biggest booster when it came to "cleaning up the city" through bands of "free" laborers.
Tech
On Seattle's waterfront, the sunny days are over
How politics, doubt and a bitter dose of reality changed the conversation about Seattle's waterfront park.
politics
Who are we? The garbage police?
The city's latest waste initiative will ping homeowners who throw away too much food. It's time for Seattle to take a hard look at its priorities.