Was Jack the Ripper a social reformer?

Answer 1

Unintentionally, but yes he was. His crimes and the publicity that followed was like a beacon to expose the horrendous conditions that his victims were forced to endure on a daily basis. The wealthier citizens of London, Queen Victoria included, were publicly shamed into action.

But as with most governments, and most social reform, change is slow to appear. Author Jack London for a brief time lived penniless among the impoverished east enders in 1900-01 as research for his book 'People of the Abyss'. At that time conditions were hardly improved from 1888, the time of Jack The Ripper's initial crimes.

To walk the streets of Whitechapel and Spitalfields today, one would barely recognize them as the Whitechapel of the Victorian age. There are still the same streets and alleys that the Ripper stalked his prey, even a few of the buildings remain. The Ten Bells tavern is still in operation and #13 Miller's Court where Mary Jane Kelly was so brutally murdered is part of Ripper Walks for tourists. But the filth and hopelessness of the area has been eliminated, thanks in part, the Jack The Ripper.