Brian Doherty on Petty Law Enforcement vs. the Poor

The New York Times recently
noted a new trend in Los Angeles: strict enforcement of
jaywalking laws downtown, including the little-known
regulation that makes it a crime to enter a crosswalk after the red
crosswalk light is flashing—even if that red light, as it often
does in L.A., is counting down the seconds until the light changes.
But L.A. police had been issuing over a thousand tickets
for jaywalking in the name of homeless management already.

Our interactions with police when it comes to how we move
through the world—whether on foot or in vehicles—are a tense
battlefield where our dignity, privacy, and even liberty are at
stake. Brian Doherty explores how even the most petty of state law
enforcement efforts can have devastatingly disproportionate effects
on the lives of the poor.

View this article.