Interestingly enough, “Jaywalking” was a term inteiduced by the automobile industry in the early days of driving.

Back in pre-car days, streets were for people, and when those spaces were starting to be shared with cars, fatalities ensued (mostly children and the elderly).

People were demanding slower speed limits, and even outright bans of cars, so the automobile industry did what it does best: shoved propaganda down the public’s throat, and blamed the walkers.

A “jay” was a term for a hick from the sticks who didnt understand city ways. So, calling someone a “jay walker” was saying that they were just an ignorant country bumpkin who didnt know how streets worked, and you’re not an ignorant country bumpkin, are you?

As a European, it’s quite strange hearing Americans get arrested for jaywalking. I don’t even know if it’s illegal here, since everyone does it constantly. I really don’t see a benefit of it being illegal, but then again, I think our cities are way less trafficked and dangerous for pedestrians.

The author makes several excellent points - the kind you would get from a humanities or ethnic studies course - that show how laws are enforced to target and oppress specific demographics. Initially these anti-“jaywalking” laws were put in place at the behest of the auto manufactures to remove pedestrians from the streets so cars can travel unimpeded, but as many laws in the Jim Crow era did, they targeted people of color, primarily in poorer parts of town. Removing these laws, followed by reclaiming these voids within our communities as public space, we will likely see improvements in our neighborhoods.

An interesting connection to this is community building through place-making. Streets and roads, etc. divide communities and removes what was once a common space and replaces it with a void of liminal travel lanes that pose a risk to everyone that is on it or even nearby. Removal of some roads and putting others on a kind of diet to slim them out and reduce their speeds can increase communal interactions. Increases in community interactions and development of personal connections has been shown to reduce crime and increase overall well being. That is without even touching the health benefits of reducing or eliminating car travel.

Everybody jaywalks where I live, you wouldn’t even be able to tell it was a law lol

Legalize Ranch!