Gavin Newsom Decriminalizes Jaywalking Due to Racial Profiling
(USNewsMag.com) – Jaywalking is something that happens in every community in America. People walk across the road or street, outside of crosswalks, creating a dangerous situation for themselves and vehicles on the road. California police currently hand out citations to those who do it, but that will soon come to an end.
On September 30, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed the Freedom to Walk Act, AB-2147, into law. The legislation decriminalizes jaywalking. Now, officers are only able to stop and give pedestrians a ticket if there’s an immediate threat of an accident.
The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D) last year. Yahoo! News reported the Democratic lawmaker said safely crossing the road “should not be a criminal offense.” He went on to allege the tickets and “unnecessary confrontations with police” were only impacting “certain communities.”
Safe street crossings when the road is clear will soon be legal in CA. The Governor signed my jaywalking bill, which dictates that an officer can only issue a citation when the pedestrian causes a hazard. No more arbitrary enforcement. Read more: https://t.co/pNxbKUr18B pic.twitter.com/MuBAHr46ry
— Phil Ting (@PhilTing) October 1, 2022
CalBike Senior Policy Advocate Jared Sanchez told Fox News that jaywalking laws have created “opportunities for police to racially profile.” He went on to say the tickets could lead to a “potentially life-threatening police encounter” for black people. San Francisco’s director of Financial Justice, Anne Stuhldreher, made similar claims. The new law will go into effect next year on January 1.
Do you agree with the assertions from the activists on the Left?
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