pedestrian violation enforcement on the rise in downtown
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Watch out, criminals! Increased resources in the form of eight bike cops and foot patrols have been allocated to Downtown’s Central Division, specifically west of Spring Street to the 110 Freeway, said Senior Lead Officer Marco Duarte.
The increase in resources allocated to our neighborhood is a sign that city leaders are taking our concerns seriously and should be applauded.
However, the problem is that according to Duarte, the new patrols are focusing heavily on “pedestrian enforcement” in the Financial District and Historic Core, meaning jaywalking and crossing the street on a blinking “hand” signal.
It’s a great day in Downtown LA when all our community has to worry about is the errant IT administrator a little too focused on his BlackBerry or the waiter running across the street to catch a bus. But when did our neighborhood cross that threshold?
Call me crazy: It hasn’t.
Is this nipping larger crimes in the bud or is it just “Broken Windows” theory gone wild? Broken Windows, espoused by Chief Bratton and with a tried and true record in New York City, is the doctrine that preventing small crimes such as graffiti, subway fare evasion and petty theft — and punishing perpetrators accordingly — prevents larger crimes from happening.
But when I can walk past 6th and Los Angeles and shifty-eyed loiterers approach me to buy my “stolen” laptop, when I walk down Spring Street and see a woman inducted into prostitution, and when I find myself in the Civic Center being physically threatened by a man much larger than me for money, focusing on office workers stepping off a Grand Avenue sidewalk a moment too late just seems ludicrous.
I’m the first to admit I felt a sense of reassurance when I noticed a two-man — well, one man and one woman — foot patrol strolling past Cole’s this morning. And I also realize that these are the good guys, looking out for you and me every time they turn a corner. Their service earns my respect and admiration every day.
However, there are bigger criminals to catch in our neighborhood which at one moment may seem vibrant and active until you find yourself on an empty stretch of road late one night.
Be smart and be safe if you do decide to jaywalk. But know that when that foot patrol turns the corner, it may just be you that’s the criminal they’re coming after next.
What do you think? Do you disagree with my take on the issue? Let us know in the comments.
66 comments
Policing “jaywalkers” (and I use quotation marks purposefully) is a waste of resources. Those cops should go catch real bad guys. Yes, I am bitter about my jaywalking ticket. The light was green, I was amidst a throng of dozens, and I was the only person singled out.
Oh, that reminds me: For the record, I have not received a jaywalking ticket, though I have no qualms about jaywalking if it’s safe to do so.
What pisses me off more than jaywalkers are drivers who insist on running a yellow or red light. Ticket those guys instead! They can actually get someone killed.
I was listening to the radio this morning, and the DJ was ranting about the chicken shit tickets he gets in Burbank, including jaywalking tickets. Nice to hear DTLA’s on that bandwagon.
I, too, think it’s ridiculous. The police will hide behind their lame excuse that they’re protecting the public like they did in a Downtown News article last month (“I’m doing this to save your life!!!!” one cop said) but I ain’t buying what they’re trying to sell.
Don’t get me wrong, if some dummy decides to cross in front of me when I’m in my car and I have a green light, and he’s taking his sweet time with his pimp-stroll, ticket the dude. But if one foot is in the air and one on the curb as the crosswalk sign changes from walk to stop, gimme a break. And don’t think that doesn’t happen.
I work a couple days a week in Hollywood, and I actually saw a coworker get a ticket because she didn’t walk across fast enough. She left the curb with a green walk sign, and she made it across the 6 lanes on Vine Street with 5 seconds left on the countdown clock (5 seconds, y’all!!) and she got ticketed because the cop told her she couldn’t be in the crosswalk when the countdown clock hit below 7. What the eff???
Luckily, she disputed it and it was thrown out. But still. Is our city THAT desperate for money that it’s willing to pillage its citizens like this?
^Exactly the same case at 7th & Fig in DT. Saw it happen today over lunch. These cops station themselves right behind a tree or newspaper receptacle like a lion just waiting for that slow gazelle to leap across the intersection.
I have a game plan though if one tries to hunt me down - I wear headphones while walking, so I’ll just keep walking quickly like I’m completely oblivious then dash into the nearest door.
This is nonsense! Straight NONSENSE! NUFF SAID.
Great article! I’ve talked about this on our blog a few times since it seems insane to be handing out jaywalking tickets. My wife noticed cops setting up shop on the corner of 7th and Hope recently, handing out tickets to groups of people on consecutive days.
I agree with LA Lola - I don’t want to see anyone get hurt but I shouldn’t have to second guess crossing an empty street on a Sunday afternoon when nobody is around.
I’d like to see the resources allocated towards preventing all the graffiti downtown (there is a ton of it) and/or stopping the buses from running yellow and red lights thinking a few honks of the horn gives them a pass.
I agree with Ira, it blows my mind that nothing is done about the immense problem downtown of people running red lights in cars. I am guessing the police could raise a lot more revenue ticketing them, and keep downtown a lot safer.
this is the dumbest thing in the world. they think we’re babies. hey cop! come here and wipe my ass for me!!!
how about the cops go after the drunks and drug addicts?
leave the jaywalkers alone.
this would never happen in nyc.
I got a ticket at 3 am walking across the street with NO cars yet there are people selling crack around the corner. LAme Bullshit.
My roommate got a jay walking ticket when a homeless person was drinking from an open container near them.
A co-worker got a jay walking ticket at 7th and Fig. The fine is $120.
This is how the city makes its money. dirty, dirty, dirty.
put those cops in the neighborhoods where murder is rampant.
sad
I was told that it is technically illegal to jay walk in NYC, but there are SO MANY jay walkers and it’s incredibly dense that the law is no longer enforced at all. (Someone can check on the validity of that law if they’re inclined.)
Nevertheless, I believe this is probably the FIRST PHASE of the LAPD making it KNOWN through the media outlets (like this blog) that there are more foot beats around. I’m assuming their goal is to establish a REPUTATION of their presence so that criminals will “back off.” The LAPD has decided to give out jay walking tickets as a first attempt to establish their presence and make a little money for the city as well.
As for the homeless, the ACLU is the watch dog for the homeless, and for now, they’re basically immune to most laws since you can’t fine them or really put them in our over-crowded jails. However, just having police circulating on foot in the city will eventually be well-known, even by gang-members, etc.
Then, as Downtown LA becomes safer and establishes a sense of normalcy, I suspect jay-walking could become less of a priority (as in places like Manhattan).
The reason why I believe this is the case is because I’ve actually seen these cops literally scrutinize pedestrians at crosswalk intersections, and for them to be THAT on top of it means they were given an order to do so from HIGHER UP. It’s a strategy, and I think it’s meant to establish a reputation.
Ridiculous policy…agreed. Got a jaywalking ticket at the first Thursday evening ArtWalk, when there were NO cars for blocks.
Agreed this is ridiculous. Especially since I’m nearly run over every day at Ninth and Figueroa because of someone running the red left arrow to turn onto Fig… Or because the red left arrow turns off as soon as the flashing hand comes on. I’m surprised people don’t get killed at that intersection all the time.
Motorcycle cops also out ticketing. Saw a pedestrian getting a ticket from a motor cop on Grand in across from the music center. My guess is the pedestrian didn’t want to wait for the cross walk light to change.
This is about money, not about crime. When a jaywalking ticket is written, the city makes money. When a criminal is apprehended, it costs
the city money. I remember a Santa Monica city council member being quoted, saying, “When revenues are down, we just write more traffic tickets.” Looks like Los Angeles is seeing jaywalkers as a source of revenue.
No, it’s not helping to make downtown safe. But I’m betting it never was intended to.
Let me espouse the opposing viewpoint. I was standing at 3rd and Broadway waiting for the light, when a guy (might have been homeless), walked off the curb, crossing the street on a red light. He was lucky no cars were coming; but he wasn’t disoriented, he saw he had a few seconds because I saw him glance at the oncoming traffic on a oneway street. My first thought, if I ever hit a jaywalker who tries to cross on red, I am going to have a bad day. I am sure the cops have seen their share of “auto vs peds” cases that they have to right reports on. They are probably mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore.
My daughter and I are constantly vigilent for cars making their turns as we are crossing the streets. Downtown would be much safer if drivers began getting tickets for impatiently lurching at pedastrians and blocking crosswalks!
Listen up, all of this anger being released is a good thing, because this is unfair and a misallocation of time and resources. So let’s take all this energy and actually DO something!
If you take the time to write a blog, then take the extra minute to write the city and make a change. Forget about Obama or McCain, or any other policitian for that matter, making change for us. We the people, right ya’ll?
Be the change…
I was one of their victims on Wednesday! Made for an awful day.
I have been filming the LAPD along Broadway when they are on one of their revenue runs. Last week, at 6th and Broadway, there were two pairs of bike cops ticketing people for jaywalking.
What is outrageous, however, is what Brian stated about busses being allowed to run red and yellow lights. I have loads of footage of Metro busses running red lights, sometimes from a dead stop when they could have merely remained stopped, and have taken to posting these videos. And I have one video where, at 5th and Broadway not two months ago, two LAPD bike officers were ticketing jaywalkers but watching as Rapids ran the red light and stopped AFTER having done so—but received no ticket from the cops, who were standing a few feet away. (One of them stepped into busy street to stop a motorist behind one the busses—and stayed there impeding traffic for a number of minutes.) But I have known for a long time that LAPD will not stop busses owing to a memo that two LAPD Metro officers told me about many years ago (before the LASD took the contract from LAPD). LAPD denies the memo, but then again LAPD also denies that they push quotas—which we all know is a bald lie. Like any other company, LAPD’s employees are going to pursue the path of least resistance and do as little as possible for the most profit—and what is easier than standing on the sidewalk waiting for “criminals” to walk up to one’s revenue-generating station?
I also have a video of a rogue cop from Central (I state so because he has been witnessed going out of his way to harass young women) jaywalking just to get a snack from the bodega across from Pershing Square—while his car is parked in the left-turn lane on 5th Street. This is not half a block from where many people received jaywalking tickets they did not deserve not a month earlier. His name is Senior Lead Officer Carter and I am still investigating the schmuck.
One person I would suggest contacting is Central Division Captain Jodi Wakefield. Her e-mail is joan.wakefield@lapd.lacity.org. You can ring her too, at 213-972-1289, but I would suggest that any communication with LAPD be done with a paper trail.
I agree with Tavis in that if there is so much anger toward these unfair ticketing practices, we should all express this to someone who can actually make a difference. Jan Perry and Huizar represent DTLA right?
Something I was thinking about the other day, maybe someone can answer:
What if I’m caught jay walking and don’t have my wallet or ID on me at the time? do I get arrested?
Or for that matter couldn’t I just say I don’t have my ID on my when I’m getting the ticket? I’m pretty sure a cop is not allowed to search your person for a petty crime - of course that doesn’t stop them most of the time.
go for it bro!
i still think they would send my ass to jail for not having ID.
My wife came home today and said she almost got hit crossing on a walk signal again today, once again by a bus running a red light.
This might come across as high and mighty but if the city needs revenue then let’s make an effort (tax breaks, streamlined processes) for new businesses. I’d rather see revenue generated from tax dollars and police putting their efforts into other areas of crime prevention.
saw a cop ticketing a poor Herbalife conventioneer on foot this morning while walking my dog on 8th/Flower. everyone in my building [gas co lofts] jaywalks across Flower in order to get to our parking structure across the street. a couple of times a year i see them attempting a crackdown for a couple of days and then they leave us alone. i hope this is just a “surge” of some sort.
Got a ticket. Apparently as two officers sat on bikes watching me cross the street on a green light. It was still green as I got to the other side. I was given a “disobeying a no walk signal” ticket, a moving violation as the red hand was up.
The office stated they were doing it for safety of the pedestrians. I asked why he did not yell over to stop me from crossing if he was worried for my safety instead of watching like a predator in wait. No answer. I insisted that I should get a warning as honestly I did not know that that was a ticket-able offense, I thought it was a suggestion as I am quite capable at judging my ability of crossing a street (I learned when I was 5).
Anyways, very annoyed as they cant even tell you how much the ticket is. I decided since there is no “license” to be a pedestrian thus who knows all the pedestrian laws, no posted written sign (5th and spring) clearly stating this law and that the officer “concerned” for my safety did nothing to “serve or protect” me, that I WILL SEE THEM IN COURT.
they are wasting their time. but they want money.
Yesterday (Friday) I captured some footage of two LAPD officers on 7th/Hill doing nothing even as motor vehicles blocked the box, ran red lights and all that.
One block away, two LAPD bike officers were stopping the occasional car and pedestrian but once again did nothing when a Metro 60 bus ran the red light—horn honking and everything—despite having every opportunity to cite the driver. This was at rush hour on a Friday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles at the very nexus of downtown: 7th and Broadway and. I was standing right beside one of the officers (the other was chasing a jaywalker across Broadway to the east side of 7th), anticipating such an incident and wanted to get it on the record from the vantage point of the officers. I waited no more than 15 minutes to get the footage.
There is obviously a problem that needs to be addressed, and it does not have so much to do with the danger of a pedestrian to motor vehicle traffic compared to the potential carnage possible by a 20,000 lb. bus roaring through red lights during rush hour, as it does the glaring hypocrisy that drives the pursuit of easy revenue by an armed agency pretending to “protect and serve” you and me.
there are so many accidents that happen from buses running red lights at the 8th and Olive Intersection. I had a bird’s eye view of it for over 2 years. The LAPD and the Metro need to find a resolution to this.
Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but the LAPD should focus on citing people who drive the wrong way on one way streets. I see this happen about twice a day. One morning I saw someone headed west on 9th for two blocks, they got stopped by a cop, and than got off with a warning! To top it off, I saw the cop at Denny’s meeting up with his buddies about 10 minutes later.
I agree with E.K on post 21. I walk in downtown almost daily and always see drivers not yielding to pedestrians. Many cars turn right as soon as the light turns green. A few times, I’ve been nearly ran over if I haven’t stopped. I think enforcing these incidents should take priority over jaywalking.
I am glad that BusTard is filming this. I used to walk a few blocks on 7th to take the dash, and could see the officers arrive at 7th and broadway about 8am, park on the sidewalk and wait for unaware pedestrians… I always thought someone should film that and expose how they allow much more dangerous situations just standing by. Just as jp, I wonder what would happen if I just said I am a tourist and don’t have any form of id on me.
The bus situation is ridiculous, I’ve been on buses where you can tell the driver feels so untouchable that he/she honks to inform everybody around that they are going through a red light. I hate that when I am a driver, but even more when I am a passenger with no seat belt or any other kind of protection against the driver.
I can’t believe there isn’t something more important for the LAPD to do with its time and money.
This merely is an example of lazy and idiotic policing on the part of the LAPD. Moreover, it really is no more than cops being tax collectors—-if tax collectors had the authority of a badge and gun.
Such law-enforcement routines are lazy because probably most (if not all) of the pedestrians cited by LAPD officers for jaywalking are upright citizens, meaning those who are the likeliest to be carrying legitimate ID in their pockets or purses, and the income to pay for a citation. Also, they’re the type of people who are less likely to give cops a hard time (compared with a prison-hardened member of a gang or a belligerent crack addict), or, in the case of a homeless person, smell so bad that a cop fears he’ll have to hold his nose while issuing a jaywalking ticket.
And such police tactics are idiotic because the streets and sidewalks of Los Angeles remain less than perfect. What I mean is public thoroughfares in LA continues to suffer from their fair share of far more dangerous or illegal activity, be it drug usage, drug selling, public urination and defecation, public drunkeness, graffiti, aggressive panhandling, excessive loitering, or, worse of all, robberies and burglaries. And I’m not even including the illegal traffic manuvers made by drivers of cars and buses described in the posts above.
Mallory, please cite your statistical sources about robberies and burglaries. That is plain wrong. The robbery and burglary rate downtown is the second lowest in all of LA.
I have my own opinions about jaywalking, but has anyone asked the police captain about this? I have, and they have told me that the death and injury rate of pedestrians downtown over the years was the highest in the city, and more often than not it was the pedestrian who was in the wrong. The police believe that enforcing crosswalk safety saves lives, and they have the numbers to prove it.
There is a cultural difference in LA regarding pedestrians. People here drive much faster. In New York or Chicago, in downtown, the average speed is 25 mph or less. In downtown LA, people drive at 40 mph or less. Ever cross a street against a light and suddenly realize that traffic catches up to you before you get across?
I am all for citing drivers as well, and there is not enough of that. Stand at any street corner on any day or night and at EVERY light cycle you will see someone blocking a crosswalk, making an unsafe right on red, or sailing through a light. I’d love to see those violations cited.
But the fact remains that jaywalking and crossing against a light are not legal. Rather than bitch and moan about it, understand why it is happening, and then work with the police to increase their enforcement of the motorists as well.
Bert,
Having been a cop (third generation, to boot) as well as one who is on the street daily (I have some damning video footage of cops impeding traffic last Friday during rush hour at 7th and Broadway while Metro busses run red right in front of them—again; I also have footage one block away only minutes earlier whereby two LAPD officers do nothing while all manner of outrageous motor vehicle behaviour takes place directly in front of the officers), I can safely state that cops are told what to do and what not to do—”laws” be damned. There is no doubt that Capt. Wakefield briefs her officers and that revenue drives her directions for their daily activity. And one should wonder why she does not frequently post police on 4th and Main, where jaywalking is far more frequent than on, say, 5th and Main, where the cops are found fairly often.
That stated, I do agree wholeheartedly with you that LAPD needs to stop being nannies—after all, in New York the cops are referees: if you lose the game of crossing through traffic, that cop is not there to hand out a citation, just a call of “Yer out!”—and tend to the real crime of motor vehicles tearing through red lights. An empty Metro bus weighs approximately ten tonnes, and if metro drivers are unable to drive safely, then LAPD should see to it.
If you look out the window right now, you will see that the traffic on 5th between Main and Spring continues to be a damn mess this Sunday afternoon, yet naught is being done about all that noise and mess.
Oh, I neglected to mention (above) that the footage I mentioned will be up early tomorrow morning.
I’ve always been one of those super paranoid people who never, ever jaywalks, but the presence of the police in regards to being there just to bust you adds nothing to the pedestrian environment of downtown. It’s like you are getting harassed by bums or ticketed by the police. The enforcement is too harsh. I would like there to be cops along main, so I can walk down the street without any side comments and so I don’t feel forced to say hello to five people, because if I don’t I get rewarded by being cursed at.
I don’t think the guys in downtown get how horrible it is to be a woman here in some aspects. This week I was thinking in my head about getting a car, which as some of you may know I’m very into the public transit thing, but this week…I was thinking about getting a car and moving to one of those complexes like Santee or something, where I just park my car and then I would cab it to go eat and things, so I would never have to be out on the street. That’s how digusting I find certain behaviors out here. I love it. I love lots of it and I’m not a delicate flower, but come on, at times people’s behavior out here is outrageously not ok, but this seems to bother no one, not the realtors, not the cops, not the politicians.
Women need to be able to walk in downtown LA without being bothered, this needs to be priority over jaywalking. Being screamed at having vulgar statements thrown at you aren’t in the statistics and you can’t arrest someone for it, but it happens way too much to women down here.
I don’t particular like being terrified into being nice, which is what I feel like alot.
Jaywalking fine maybe it’s dangerous, but I don’t jaywalk and I walk down 6th by Pershing Square coming from a bar or a restaurant and I feel as if I am in danger. I should be able to walk down the street without vulgar comments on a daily basis.
You worry about jaywalking in places like Los Feliz where you can walk down the street and not have to smell pee or have strangers give you intricate details of what they want to do to you sexually.
I’m not bashing downtown, I’m just saying this needs to be addressed in a serious way and telling me to move is not going to make it better, because there are other women here and now there are kids. A community has to be about making the entire community feel safe, not just a portion of it.
—- Mallory, please cite your statistical sources about robberies and burglaries. That is plain wrong. The robbery and burglary rate downtown is the second lowest in all of LA. —-
What is plain wrong? I merely cited the existence of crimes, or far more disruptive misdemeanors, that continue to occur in the downtown community on a daily basis. I’m talking about major nuisances, many of them cited by people above, that go beyond the misdemeanor of jaywalking. However, you would be correct to say I was wrong if robberies and burglaries had become practically non-existent.
In that case, I would happy to be shown as not making a good argument regarding LAPD practices. I also would be happy to be seen as not making a proper argument if the sidewalks of downtown were far more orderly, pleasant and harrassment-free than they actually are, with no more criminality than found on Wilshire Blvd around Century City or Santa Monica.
And are the still very high levels of homeless people wandering throughout downtown due to Angelenos doing nothing but “bitch and moan” about the problem? So if no one complained about the situation, there would be fewer transients in the area? And the LAPD, therefore, would have dealt with the problem in a more effective manner?
Or if the problem is because of everyone’s lack of understanding, what haven’t they been able to understand about illegal activity occurring in downtown over the past 50 years?
Why do buses always get blamed for everything in LA? The problem is with the single passenger vehicle driver. Once in a while a bus will do something idiotic that makes it seem every bus driver is an a**hole. However, this is few and far between. Count how many car accidents there were today? What about yesterday? Betcha none of them involved a bus. If it did, you would hear about ‘em. Again, few and far between.
Police need to focus on where the auto traffic is deadly..and that’s 9th & Figueroa. Cars don’t realize that there is a red right turn signal. Tickets need to be handed out there to get drivers to understand the safety hazard. Again, it’s those damn single passenger cars, not the buses causing the problems.
One of the biggest problems here is that in most of L.A., the “walk” signal cycle is too short for many people. Usually I’ve *just* started crossing the street when the “don’t walk” countdown begins, and I’m a relatively fast walker. If you’re elderly or handicapped, it’s probably even harder. I’m sorry, it’s not easy to cross four lanes in roughly 15 seconds unless I really make a run for it.
My friends and I got jaywalking tickets at 7th and Fig two weeks ago and it was $125! We had 20 seconds with the flashing hand and they still gave us a ticket. Since flirting didn’t work, I gave that cop an earful.
The reality is the Downtown District for LAPD hates people that aren’t driving in cars. They harass cyclists. They harass pedestrians. They let cars break laws with near impunity when it comes to blocking the box, turning left after the light turns red and even just running a red light straight up. Want to guess what infractions cause more crashes and fatalities? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not crossing the street on a flashing hand or biking without a license on your bike.
Absolute disgrace.
I’ve never gotten a ticket in my life until last Wednesday for jaywalking and then again today for eating on the red line train at Union station? You think they would give you a warning! What is this city coming to???
I recieved a ticket for J Walking yesterday, The cop was just standing their waiting. And the diabolical thing about it, The cop had already had portions of the ticket filled out, He only had to fill in the date my name and the time it happened. So he clearly woke up that morning with the intent to write someone a jay walking ticket.
Before i walked away i stood their watching to see if anybody else would get a ticket for the samething, I watched alot of people do the exact samething i had just did, I turned around and asked the officer what about the rest of these people that are j walking, He replied sir i can only get one person at a time.
The real crime here is the fact that they pick and choose who their going to give tickets too. With out even going to court i went and paid the ticket the very same day, The clerk told me you just recieved this your not even in the system yet. So i waited for her to enter the code, She said that will be 123 dollars i replied what, I was so angry. Police officers wonder why there is this animosity between them and the public, I can’t speak for anybody else but, I will always see the police as my enemy wether their right or wrong.
After i left my comment above, I decided to read through some of the other posts people have left here and i must say this. I can’t stand people who defend police officers, And people who defend them are usually people that live in the best of neighborhoods where in fact alot of these tickets are never written. Officers chose downtown, And poorer areas where these frivolous tickets are always issued.
(Back on topic) i wanted to add something in addition to what i previously posted.
Most Cops that write these Jay walking tickets, What they do is pick a light that obviously needs to be fixed meaning, It changes to fast or too slow, That Gaurantee’s that the officer will fulfill his/her mission of writing a ticket. We are in a recession, nobody has extra money to just give away these days paying for a ticket.
Some of you guys mentioned some solutions like video taping and writing Central Division, What you guys need to understand, codes of ethics sometimes fall under socail issues. And almost all the time people that work in the legal field always side with cops against the public. Some of them sleep together, Lie for each other, Cover each other, And chances are the person you are reporting the cop to knows the cop so its a losing battle.
They are all crooks and there in the business to make money, And writing tickets help them keep their jobs. Someone told me in the past that when a police officer writes alot of tickets, the bigger his pay check will be they get a raise, And i believe it.
Cops can get killed cleaning up the street from homelessness, crime, etc. Tickets make cops money. You do the math. Get $$$ or get dead?
More seriously though, if you really want to change this, just ask your HOA or boss to let you write a letter. I haven’t seen anyone ever get a jaywalking ticket in downtown so I can’t really judge.
I will say that Metro buses regularly (2 times in 6 years) run me off the street. I’m in the left lane, the bus changes lanes into my car. In order to avoid getting hit, I change lanes into incoming traffic.
There’s not much you can do about it. They are bigger. You fight, you die. Just like vs. cops. You fight, you die. So I just never let metro buses merge in, I never give them the right of way, etc. If they want to push me off the road, then I’ll give in. I’m pretty nimble though, and daring. Most people aren’t comfortable with a 2-6” cushion, depending on speed.
Of course in that vein, $123 for jaywalking is better than a bullet. So take your ticket, be quiet and fight the ticket. But don’t argue, you might get killed. Seriously, it happens.
I just got a jaywalking ticket in Los Feliz. I even got to put my hands on my head and be gruffly frisked. I guess that was because I have tattoos. My friend got a ticket too, but they didn’t even frisk him. I don’t dress like a gang member and if you looked at my tattoos, it’s obvious they aren’t gang related and are professionally done. Nonetheless, having them means you are a criminal to most cops.
They really stick it to you for the fine. They wouldn’t tell us how much it is of course, although I know that they know. It took a while for me to find the amount in the penal code. $25, well that’s not so bad, but then you get to pay all those extra little penalties that go along with it, which is purposely confusing to figure out. The penalties are $98!! Are you kidding?!
A friend of mine just said the amount in North Hollywood is $180. So, what is it exactly? The county penal code adds up to $123. Anyone know for sure, or am I just going to get a little surprise in the mail?
Wow…this post lives on!
We’re all drivers and we’re all pedestrians. We know when we’re doing the right thing and the wrong thing so the issue isn’t really whether we’re breaking a law or not.
That said, I think the root is maximum revenue with minimum resources. Compared to the speeding motorist, the jay-walker is the low-lying fruit - easy money.
I’ve seen westbound drivers speeding down Fifth Street at Olive and Grand as if they’re already on the 110, not 4 blocks from it. Cops around…nothing happens. I’ve turned the corner to see a pedestrian in the act of crossing an absolutely carless Olive Street in front of the Biltmore (you know, that mid-block crosswalk with the 1-hour ‘Don’t Walk’ cycle?) getting stopped and issued a ticket! Go figure.
So, yes - pedestrian safety’s a factor but I don’t think it’s THE factor. I smell “easy money.”
My girlfriend and I both were cited tickets when in the jewlery district in October of 08. The bill came in at 123$, and I sent in a check for the amount. Last week I checked my mailbox, and guess what, the check never made it to LASC (Los Angeles Superior Court) so they bumped the 123$ up to $696 and put my license on hold until I pay?!?!
This is fucked up.
I just got a ticket in downtown Burbank today for jaywalking. I was late for work and looked both ways. I wasn’t beligerent, and I didnt’ smart off, I just took the ticket and nodded when the officer lectured me about ‘safety’. Went to the courthouse right away, thinking that I’d rather just take care of it than argue about it. I was told that it would take up to three weeks to process the ticket, and that it would likely be around $160. I couldn’t believe it!
Of course, I haven’t been told the actual amount but I wanted to be prepared. I was thinking it would be around $90 to $100, but even that seemed excessive. The whole time he was lecturing me about ‘being safe’ I was thinking ‘But there weren’t any cars around. I wasn’t a danger to myself or anyone else. What could be safer than that?’
3 weeks ago at 8am while waiting to cross Flower at 7th in DT, I watched a motorcycle officer ticket a pedestrian on the opposite catty corner. When my walk signal was given, I began to step onto the crosswalk only to pull my foot back as a Metro Bus ran the red just a foot in front of me. I looked straight at the driver, and he responded by honking his horn halfway through the intersection as if that offered some kind of absolution. The bike cop of course continued to write the jaywalking ticket. After all, how can he raise revenue by ticketing a fellow city employee?
Wah. I got a ticket for being an idiot. Wah. I’ll blame the big bad police for something I did. Wah. I’ll point my finger at other “innocent” people and ask why they aren’t being cited too. Wah. What about little Johnny? He does it too Mommy!
What a bunch of loser whiners. No wonder this country is in the shape we’re in. No one takes responsibility for their OWN actions. They just point fingers and make excuses.
Yes, we’re going to drive this country straight to hell because we gripe that we get a ticket! No one here ever said they wouldn’t take responsibility and pay their tickets, Officer Douchebag! Go back to the donut shop asshole.
Club Med Fred: Take responsibility for YOUR actions, oh, and pay your ticket too.
God forbid you get arrested on a traffic warrant and have to do some time with the hard core criminals that the police arrest and protect YOU from.
By the way, LA City doesn’t make money on traffic tickets, they make it on PARKING tickets. 100% of parking ticket fines go into the city coffers. They only get a small portion of the money generated from jaywalking tickets. The state gets the bulk of the money.
Now go back to your local Trader Joes and get some cheese for your “whine”.
HA HA! Moron. BTW, the police aren’t legally obligated to protect you anyway. I don’t need their protection. In my opinion the police cause more problems than the criminals 80% of the time. Generally speaking, crime can be avoided by being observant and careful.
Can’t you just let us cry to ourselves in peace? I’ll be thinking of you when I take a dump.
Crying in peace….
Thinking of men while your pants are down around your ankles. ….
Jeez Fred, it sounds like you really don’t need the police.
You need a shrink and a butt plug.
Ha!
What’s wrong with queers anyway?
What’s a queer Fred? And who said that they were “wrong”?
Got a jaywalking ticket while crossing the lake ave in pasadena with three others. It was a kind of jaywalk in the middle of the street away from pedestrian walk where atleast 100 people cross the street, but only I got the ticket and three others who were with me walked away smiling. empty street, no traffic clear day.
it costs $159! Ironically, I walked to save on gas.
is there any way to get the fine reduced or not to pay by doing some community work?
I tried to pay my fine online and found there is an additional $10 for electronic payment.
Then went to the pasadena court house and saw a crowd of atleast 1000 waiting to pay tickets.
Many became friends, some started to play cards, get coffee from starbucks, some with mini videogames……the waiting is apporx- 2-3 hours to reach the box office.
And can you believe? In the same place where I got a ticket, today I saw a transporation law enforcement vehicle parked in red zone of the sidewalk. The cop went out to drink and give tickets..
Poor Ped…..The red zone is for emerg. veh access. The cop was parked correctly. Would you rather have him park in a spot designated for reg. vehs? Thereby taking a spot from you? Think about it.
So today 10/1/09 I got a freaking ticket for this. I had just gotten off one bus and I had to cross the street to catch another one so I could get to school. The hand was up but their were 19 seconds left. A women in front of me walked and I followed behind. I went to my busstop and waited when I heard the group of women behind me syaing “she’s getting a ticket.”
FMl. It was the women who was in front of me. I thought maybe she had done something when she tried crossing the other street? Idk. I was trying to be a bit opptimistic I suppose. Then he turned and looked at me at my bus stop. I just sat down on the curb and waited. I had already missed one bus. I was gonna be late to my first class if I missed the next one.
The cop came, smiledn at me and called me over and took down my info. And I he asked my birth daywhich is in August and he said oh what month is August in? -_- lol. He couldn’t spell my street name which really is easy. So not only was he a deuche but also not very bright.
My anger was that when I use to roam the streets and do stuff that I shouldn’t be doing not one cop would even look at me! When I am trying to do something productive I get a ticket. The poor women was probably in a rush to work or something. NICE WAY TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE LAPD.
p.s. do you guys know if I can even get a ticket if I have 19 seconds left? I read in the article that you can only get a ticket if its 7 seconds or left… someone else told me 10… does anyone know? Or can I fight this and not have to give up what little money I have because of how stupid this place is?