stands a moment,<\/em>\u00a0proudly twirling his club, and then moves down toward Fourteenth Street. It gives him an immense satisfaction to see the girls scatter.<\/p>\nHis broad back retreats in the gloom, and the girls return\u2014crossing and recrossing, passing and repassing with tireless feet.<\/p>\n
Standing on that Corner, watching the little comedy, my ears were full of low whisperings and the soft scuff of their feet. They cursed at me, or guyed me, according to whether or not they had had any dinner. And then came the Cop.<\/p>\n
His ponderous shoulders came rolling out of the gloom of Fifteenth Street, with the satisfied arrogance of an absolute monarch. Soundlessly the girls vanished, and the Corner contained but three living things: the hissing arc-light, the Cop, and myself.<\/p>\n
He stood for a moment, juggling his club, and peering sullenly around. He seemed discontented about something; perhaps his conscience was troubling him. Then his eye fell on me, and he frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMove on!\u201d he ordered, with an imperial jerk of the head.<\/p>\n
“Why?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever mind why. Because I say so. Come on now.\u201d He moved slowly in my direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing nothing,\u201d said I. \u201cI know of no law that prevents a citizen from standing on the corner, so long as he doesn\u2019t hold up traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChop it!\u201d rumbled the Cop, waving his club suggestively at me, \u201cNow git along, or I\u2019ll fan ye !\u201d<\/p>\n
I perceived a middle-aged man hurrying along with a bundle under his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold on,\u201d I said; and then to the stranger, \u201cI beg your pardon, but would you mind witnessing this business?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d he remarked cheerfully. \u201cWhat\u2019s the row?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was standing inoffensively on this corner, when this officer ordered me to move on. I don\u2019t see why I should move on. He says he\u2019ll beat me with his club if I don\u2019t. Now, I want you to witness that I am making no resistance. If I\u2019ve been doing anything wrong, I demand that I be arrested and taken to the Night Court.\u201d The Cop removed his helmet and scratched his head dubiously.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds reasonable.\u201d The stranger grinned. \u201cWant my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
But the Cop saw the grin. \u201cCome on then,\u201d he growled, taking me roughly by the arm. The stranger bade us good-night and departed, still grinning. The Cop and I went up Fifteenth Street, neither of us saying anything. I could see that he was troubled and considered letting me go. But he gritted his teeth and stubbornly proceeded.<\/p>\n
We entered the dingy respectability of the Night Court, passed through a side corridor, and came to the door that gives onto the railed space where criminals stand before the Bench. The door was open, and I could see beyond the bar a thin scattering of people of the benches\u2014sightseers, the morbidly curious, an old Jewess with a brown wig, waiting, waiting, with her eyes fixed upon the door through which prisoners appear. There were the usual few lights high in the lofty ceiling, the ugly, dark panelling of imitation mahogany that is meant to impress, and only succeeds in casting a gloom. It seems that Justice must always shun the light.<\/p>\n
There was another prisoner before me, a slight, girlish figure that did not reach the shoulder of the policeman who held her arm. Her skirt was wrinkled and indiscriminate, and hung too closely about her hips; her shoes were cracked and too large; an enormous limp willow plume topped her off. The Judge lifted a black-robed arm\u2014I could not hear what he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoliciting,\u201d said the hoarse voice of the policeman, \u201cSixth Avenue near Twenty-third\u2014-\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTen days on the Island\u2014next case!\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl threw back her head and laughed insolently.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou \u2014\u201d she shrilled, and laughed again. But the Cop thrust her violently before him, and they passed out at the other door.<\/p>\n
And I went forward with her laughter still sounding in my ears.<\/p>\n
The Judge was writing something on a piece of paper. Without looking up he snapped:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the charge, officer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cResisting an officer,\u201d said the Cop surlily. \u201cI told him to move on an\u2019 he says he wouldn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHum,\u201d murmured the Judge abstractedly, still writing. \u201cWouldn\u2019t, eh? Well, what have you got to say for yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not answer.<\/p>\n
“Won\u2019t talk, eh ? Well, I guess you get\u2014\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he looked up, nodded, and smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Reed!\u201d he said. He venomously regarded the Cop. \u201cNext time you pull a friend of mine\u2014\u201d suggestively, he left the threat unfinished. Then to me, \u201cWant to sit up on the Bench for a while?”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Transcribed:\u00a0<\/strong>Sally Ryan for marxists.org in 2000<\/p>\n
\nThe movie Reds<\/em> is about John Reed:<\/p>\n[amazon asin=B000GG4Y32&template=iframe image]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
John Reed A Taste of Justice Published:\u00a0The Masses,\u00a0April, 1913 \u00a0| via\u00a0John Reed Internet Archive As soon as the dark sets in, young girls begin to pass that Corner\u2014squat figured, hard-faced \u201ccheap\u201d girls, like dusty little birds wrapped too tightly in their feathers. They come up Irving Place from Fourteenth Street, turn back toward Union Square on Sixteenth, stroll down Fifteenth (passing the Corner again) to Third Avenue, and so around\u2014always drawn back to the Corner. By some mysterious magnetism, the Corner of Fifteenth Street and Irving Place fascinates them. Perhaps that particular spot means Adventure, or Fortune, or even Love....<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14,7,10],"tags":[43,39,44,40,42,41],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-info","category-links","category-movies","tag-classic","tag-john-reed","tag-journalism","tag-portland","tag-reprint","tag-the-masses"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3u13S-2A","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/portlands-communist-bench\/","url_meta":{"origin":160,"position":0},"title":"Portland’s communist bench","author":"David Raffin","date":"July 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Disclaimer: This article is about a communist plot. Recently in Portland, OR I waited in line to sit on the communist bench. The bench is so popular, at least it was that day, \u00a0I waited an hour and the \u00a0man on it never left. He sat there, reading a newspaper,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"John Reed Bench, Portland, OR","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/IMG_0285-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":217,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/sonny-bowl-portland-food-cart-vegan\/","url_meta":{"origin":160,"position":1},"title":"Sonny Bowl, Portland food cart (vegan)","author":"David Raffin","date":"July 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"While I was sitting near the John Reed Bench in Portland, OR, I ate a meal I carried there from Sonny Bowl. You know, while I fomented revolution. Located at\u00a0SW 3rd Ave & SW Washington St, Downtown, Sonny Bowl is one of Portland's now ubiquitous parking lot food carts. But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Info"","block_context":{"text":"Info","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/info\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The number Two, Sonny Bowl, Portland, OR","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/IMG_0294-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":844,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/saturday-afternoon-on-the-street-a-true-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":160,"position":2},"title":"Saturday afternoon on the street, a true story","author":"David Raffin","date":"March 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Walk down the street. The man in front of you is disheveled and has wild hair. He speaks to himself, sometimes a mumble. Sometimes alternating volume. Sometimes abruptly stopping mid-sentence to wait a moment and start a seemingly unrelated sentence. Then he says, loud and clear: \"Just Kill them yourself.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Info"","block_context":{"text":"Info","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/info\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_0837","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_0837-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2250,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/trigger-warning-the-assassination-of-fred-hampton\/","url_meta":{"origin":160,"position":3},"title":"Trigger Warning: The Assassination of Fred Hampton","author":"David Raffin","date":"June 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"It was not about the guns. We had them. They were a necessity. And a defense. That was the necessity. That's why the full name of our organization was the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Self-defense and the defense of others. 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I died in my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Info"","block_context":{"text":"Info","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/info\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/mike-von-wLY9bHf-KUU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/mike-von-wLY9bHf-KUU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/mike-von-wLY9bHf-KUU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/mike-von-wLY9bHf-KUU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/mike-von-wLY9bHf-KUU-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":799,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/john-cleeses-favorite-john-cleese-joke\/","url_meta":{"origin":160,"position":4},"title":"John Cleese’s favorite John Cleese joke","author":"David Raffin","date":"November 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"John Cleese says the best joke he ever wrote was inadvertently cut out of the film Life of Brian due to \"camera angles.\" In the film Cleese's character says, \"There are two things you have to know about the meaning of life. The first is that people are not wearing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Info"","block_context":{"text":"Info","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/info\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4181,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/one-goose-mongoose\/","url_meta":{"origin":160,"position":5},"title":"One goose Mongoose","author":"David Raffin","date":"October 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The duck billed the platypus three dollars and forty-seven cents. \"Cents? cents? Don't make no sense,\" said the irate duck billed platypus, waiving the bill in the air. \"You say it ain't fair?\" said the duck.\"I say it ain't square!\" said the platypus. 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