Race & Assault
Race was not prominently featured in The Seattle Star’s reporting of assault cases. Out of 40 assault cases, only seven specifically mentioned the race of the victim and/or offender. Five articles specifically mentioned the victim's race: Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, and “colored.” In turn, only three articles identified or hinted at the offender's race: Black, “colored,” and “dark-skinned.” None of the 40 articles specified a white victim or offender, perpetuating the idea that white was seen as the default race in Seattle from 1900-1920. Two cases were (presumedly, due to vague racial terminology) black-on-white crimes, and one involved a Black offender and Japanese victim. While there was a decrease in victims of color over the 20 years (4 cases in 1901, 1 case in 1919), there is no clear racial-based pattern of assault in either victims or offenders from 1900-1920. The lack of reference to race is also consistent among other crimes (excluding gambling) reported in The Seattle Star, with race only being stressed or sensationalized in non-locally written stories such as those originating from the Deep South. The Seattle Star, perhaps due to its status as a working-class newspaper or a lack of racial tension in Seattle during this period, does not find race an important factor to focus on in crime reporting.
The below article, “JUDGE HEARS STABBING CASE” (1920), is an average example of how little importance race is in The Seattle Star's reporting of assault cases.
