Seattle did not escape the high inflation and high unemployment rates of the worldwide recession of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some 66,000 Boeing workers were laid off in 1969 and 1970, and the state’s unemployment rate was the highest in the nation. The state legislature sharply reduced welfare grants effective April 1, 1971. At that time, some 70,000 people in King County, WA, received public assistance, and at least 60% were expected to have their grants cut.

On April 2, 1971, members of the clergy, welfare rights organizations, and others picketed the Rainier Office of the WA Department of Public Assistance at 26th Avenue South. The two men to the far right, David Weyeneth (left) and the Rev. William Hershey (right) are members of the Peoples’ Coalition for Peace and Justice. Hershey is pastor of the Campus Christian Ministry. The women to the left hold picket signs, including one from the National Welfare Rights Organization and one referring to then-Mayor Wes Uhlman’s earlier role in public funding for the Kingdome stadium.

Caption information source: The Seattle Times, April 1 and April 2, 1971
Caption information source: “Boeing and Washington’s Aerospace Industry, 1934-2015,” by Jim Kershner, HistoryLink.org Essay 11111