A new California law will allow pedestrians to walk as long as it's safe.
The Freedom to Walk Act states that police officers can only cite pedestrians crossing a street outside a crosswalk if there is an immediate danger of a crash.
Proponents of the new measure say that jaywalking laws ended up giving cops the power to racially profile people and impose fines on low-income residents.
Zal Shroff, senior staff attorney at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, said that law enforcement will no longer be able to stop people who cross the street safely.
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 make all of California safer for pedestrians.
A jaywalking bill was sponsored by a California congressman. The photo was taken by Santiago Mejia/ San Francisco Chronicle.
It shouldn't be a crime to cross the street according to the sponsor of the legislation.
When expensive tickets and unnecessary confrontations with police impact only certain communities, it's time to rethink how we use our law enforcement resources.
People should be encouraged to get out of their cars and walk.
The article was first published on HuffPost.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
