The Freedom to Walk Act, sponsored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, is necessary step to repeal obsolete laws now used solely by police to harass minorities.
Police don't look around in Hollywood, or Beverly Hills, and issue jaywalking tickets to wealthy people. Nope. They use old useless laws like the jaywalking bullshit to annoy and harass minorities.
Jaywalking citations are disproportionately issued to Black Californians, and policing these infractions provides an opportunity for biased and pretextual policing.
Decriminalizing jaywalking will prevent asshole cops from using the pretext of "enforcing the law" on low-income Californians, who can least afford to pay the fines. Low-income residents are also more likely to live in neighborhoods that lack infrastructure for people who walk, making jaywalking unavoidable.
AB 1238 is aimed at “legalizing crossings, when safe, outside of a crosswalk or against a traffic light,” Assemblyman Ting’s press release stated. And perhaps most importantly, the bill takes a stand against the fines levied against jaywalkers, mostly people of color, and against police behavior in targeting this same demographic.
In California, a single jaywalking ticket can cost more than $196.
Citing people for pedestrian offenses like jaywalking is ridiculous and a waste of police time and resources. Most people are able to calculate the risks of street crossings, with or without laws.
Is this, or isn't it, the land of the free and the home of the brave?
https://www.calbike.org/assembly-transportation-committee-supports-freedom-to-walk-act/
Agree with your comment about those laws are being misused. They're there right along with crippling court fees, that literally can destroy a poor person's life.
ReplyDeleteFortunately most obsolete laws are not being enforced, like the one in England, that forbids MPs to enter the the House of Parliament 'wearing a suit of armour'. It's from 1313. Another law says it's illegal to die in Parliament.