California Decriminalizes A Popular Street 'Crime'

var label_633a4157e4b0b7f89f422387 = "ctx-wait-633a4157e4b0b7f89f422387"; var defer_633a4157e4b0b7f89f422387 = document.currentScript; console.time(label_633a4157e4b0b7f89f422387); window.waitForGlobal( () => window.HP && window.HP.params && window.HP.params.clientUUID && window.localStorage && defer_633a4157e4b0b7f89f422387 && defer_633a4157e4b0b7f89f422387.parentElement.dataset.ready === "true", () => { console.timeEnd(label_633a4157e4b0b7f89f422387); Instead of enhancing pedestrian safety, jaywalking laws often ended up allowing cops to racially profile people and mired low-income residents in fines, backers of the new measure say.“No longer will law enforcement be able to stop people who are safely crossing the street and burden them with citations and heaps of debt,” Zal Shroff, senior staff attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, told KTLA.“For too long, our jaywalking laws were used as a pretext to stop and harass people, especially low-income people and people of color. The reforms enacted in [the law] will put an end to that and, in doing so, make all of California safer for pedestrians.”California Rep. Phil Ting (D), pictured here at a podium in 2017, sponsored the jaywalking bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesAdvertisement State Rep. Phil Ting (D), a sponsor of the legislation, said it shouldn’t be a “criminal offense to safely cross the street.”“When expensive tickets and unnecessary confrontations with police impact only certain communities, it’s time to reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really do protect pedestrians,” Ting said in a statement.“Plus, we should be encouraging people to get out of their cars and walk for health and environmental reasons.”RelatedCalifornia lawjaywalkingKanye West Makes Runway Debut As Model In Mud-Filled Fashion ShowChinese Billionaire Richard Liu Settles U.S. Rape AllegationThe Supreme Court Is Back With A Whole New Set Of Controversial Cases



Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/california-jaywalking_n_633a3d54e4b0b7f89f4222f5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com