California’s slide into full anarchy and lawlessness continues.
Because “people of color” make up the majority of jaywalkers in California, police are now not allowed to stop them.
The Freedom to Walk Act, also known as AB 2147, was just signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Thegatewaypundit.com reports: The bill had been introduced by San Francisco Democrat Assemblyman Phil Ting.
“It should not 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,” said Ting in a statement. “Plus, we should be encouraging people to get out of their cars and walk for health and environmental reasons.”
Ting’s office added, “AB 2147 is Ting’s second attempt to decriminalize jaywalking in California, as he pursues fairness in the way fines are assessed and prevention of potentially escalating police stops. Jaywalking is arbitrarily enforced throughout California, with tickets disproportionately given to people of color and lower-income individuals who cannot afford tickets that can often total hundreds of dollars. When the law goes into effect on January 1, 2023, fewer working families will struggle to pay the costly citation, and police would not be able to use jaywalking as a pretext to detain someone.”
Tings office included a statement from Zal Shroff, Senior Staff Attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, who claimed that jaywalking laws are used as a “pretext to stop and harass people, especially low-income people and people of color.”
“All Californians will benefit from the Governor’s decision to sign AB 2147—the Freedom to Walk Act—into law. 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. 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 AB 2147 will put an end to that and, in doing so, make all of California safer for pedestrians,” said Zal Shroff, Senior Staff Attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Ting’s press release also included a statement from Jared Sanchez, Senior Policy Advocate for CalBike, who said that a jaywalking ticket can turn into a “potentially life-threatening police encounter,” especially for black people.
“Jaywalking laws do more than turn an ordinary and logical behavior into a crime; they also create opportunities for police to racially profile. A jaywalking ticket can turn into a potentially life-threatening police encounter, especially for Black people, who are disproportionately targeted and suffer the most severe consequences of inequitable law enforcement,” said Sanchez.
The new law will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
It is time to pick up a few ar 15 and plenty of ammo. Let us help these bastards to their fathers home in HELL.
I think the goal is to eliminate as many local Police Departments as possible. Allow crime to become out of control to the point that residents are demanding a solution. At that point they will enact a Federal Police force. This is absolutely opposed to our constitution and not anything any American would want. Please support our local and state Police as often as you can.
So let me get this right. Jaywalkers are now classed as a Sub-Species of Human Being and are therefore ‘Untouchable’ by the laws of the land? Ok then!
Democrats can’t be sane.no way.The race card has infected their pea brains and they are becoming Clowns
Maybe we don’t need police to babysit people who want to cross the street.
Just sayin’…
So what happens when people start walking and skateboarding in driving lanes, crossing against the light and blocking traffic as a means of “protest”? Sure, one can sympathize with someone who gingerly crosses away from a crosswalk when they make sure the coast is clear, but in some urban areas, pedestrians make a sport of blocking traffic for as long as they can. This will be just one more reason to leave CA.
Yeah
Because the police have all kinds of time to hand out Jaywalking tickets ??
Use your freaking heads, for something more then a hat rack IDIOTS!!!
Isn’t it racist to assume minorities are too stupid to follow the law?
California had it’s chance to rid themselves of this idiot and they blew it. So they deserve everything they get.