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CA Bill Could Bring Freedom To Cross The Street Without Fear Of Criminalization For “Jaywalking”

Publication: Witness LA

Black Californians are up to 4.5 times more likely to be stopped for jaywalking than their white peers, according to data the state collects under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA). The Freedom to Walk Act, a bill introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and pedestrian safety groups, aims to address this disparity by decriminalizing walking in the street outside of a legal intersection.

... “Whether it’s someone’s life or the hundreds of dollars in fines, the cost is too much for a relatively minor infraction,” Asm. Ting said at a press conference announcing The Freedom to Walk Act (AB 1238) in March. “It’s time to reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really do protect pedestrians.”