Jaywalking

When you walk around a city, there are many rules you follow – or maybe, you don’t follow them. You might not think about them too much. Rules like, walk on the sidewalk. Wait for the walk signal when crossing an intersection. Don’t cross in the middle of the block.

When you break those rules in the U.S., we call it jaywalking, and it’s illegal. But most people who jaywalk don’t think about it as a crime. In fact, most Americans admit to having jaywalked.

Yet the data shows that police enforce jaywalking laws disproportionately in neighborhoods with limited pedestrian infrastructure – fewer crosswalks, sidewalks and signals, primarily underserved Black and brown communities. And so many instances of police brutality against Black Americans start when we are stopped for minor infractions like jaywalking.

Jaywalking laws are just one way that Black Americans have had their mobility arrested. Today, we’re exploring the war on our right to walk in the street, and what you can do about it.