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The Illinois Police Order To Shoot Men Who Catcalled Or Annoyed Women On His Streets
One Police Chief took matters into his own hands when men in his town wouldn’t stop harassing women
The harassment of women has always been a significant issue in society. However, things got so bad more than a century ago in Alton, Illinois that their police chief gave an official order to his officers to shoot any men who annoyed or catcalled women on public streets and attempted to evade arrest.
The January 2, 1907 issue of the Atlanta Constitution reported the severe steps taken by the Alton, Illinois police department after it became increasingly difficult to keep women from being molested as they walked down city streets. The community got a reputation for men taking the liberty of insulting and otherwise propositioning women out in the open. These “mashers,” as they were known, became so intolerable that Police Chief Maxwell took measures to curb such behavior immediately.
Maxwell instructed his police officers to shoot any mashers who they saw “annoying” women and would not comply with orders when being placed under arrest. If they wouldn’t go quietly and respectfully, he wanted to teach them a permanent lesson.
