Despite the fact that roughly 200 people have been killed in New York City in the last five years while jaywalking, the city has now legalized jaywalking — outlawed since 1958 — with supporters claiming the laws against jaywalking were racist.
The city council passed a bill last month permitting jaywalking. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams never vetoed the bill, and it became law and will go into effect in roughly 120 days. Prior to the law being abolished, a violation could cost as much as $300, The New York Times noted, adding, “Jaywalking laws, historically used to target Black and Latino residents, were not evenly enforced in New York, and the Council bill was primarily a racial justice measure.”
Brooklyn Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse, who introduced the bill, stated, “Let’s be real, every New Yorker jaywalks. People are simply trying to get where they need to go. Laws that…
