There’s a long list of things we can’t do while Black without being bothered – including WALKING! Black pedestrians are much more likely to get ticketed or approached by police for “jaywalking” than anyone else.
The cops have all but admitted they’re targeting our people. Here are the three worst cities for “walking while Black:”
Jacksonville, FL: The city is 29% Black, but Black people received 55% of tickets for walking. These tickets can cause financial hardship to residents without transportation, and it’s not cutting down on the number of people hit by cars, either, regardless of what the police claim.
New York City, NY: Nine out of ten people ticketed for jaywalking here are non-white. And despite all the noise made about the end of “stop and frisk,” it’s still happening.
San Clemente, CA: An unarmed Black man in this city was shot to death by police for jaywalking! The devastating consequences of racist infrastructure policy means our neighborhoods often lack lighting, sidewalks, and other amenities. Where else are we supposed to walk?
Walking is something simple that should be safe for us no matter where we live. We must always remember that racists will look for any reason to bother us, so we should always be aware of the law and local statutes – and push back against those hurting our people.